Born To Be Wild
by Northern-Southern Belle
Summary: Elijah and Selina are dealing with Laura and Edward's upcoming wedding and surprise pregnancy when they find out that Sam, Selina's son from a long-ago fling with Damon, is being targeted by the uber-powerful witch Hazel as punishment for being conceived via an illegal fertility potion. Hazel is also after Roxie's son Joey, who finds love on the run with a female werewolf.
1. Bonnie and Clyde

Disclaimer: Only original characters and the plot belong to me!

**This is a sequel to: The Young And The Restless**

For the third day in a row, Laura woke up feeling ill. "Call school again," she told Edward. "I don't feel like going today, either."

"But this is the_ third _day," Edward replied. "You can't just be skipping school all the time. How will you graduate?"

"I would have thought you'd have more sympathy for me that that!" Laura snapped. "Seeing as how me being sick is unnatural, yet, look at me!" She paused and then hopped out of bed and ran for the bathroom. "That's it," Edward told her. "I'm taking you to Enid's. She'll be able to tell you what's wrong."

"She's gone, didn't you hear?" Laura called. "Hazel found out about Joey and now Enid's being read the riot act! And I know what's wrong!

"Well, who else could we ask?" Edward asked, ignoring Laura's last comment. "Not a human doctor. They wouldn't take kindly to vampires."

"Maybe Alistair," Laura suggested, realizing Edward wouldn't let this 'doctor' thing go.

"All right," Edward replied. "We'll take you to go see Alistair and I hope he'll tell us that whatever is wrong with you will go away and you'll be able to enjoy graduation and our wedding."

"Fine," Laura groaned. "We'll go see Alistair. But until then, _please_ let me stay in bed!"

* * *

When Edward was finally able to rouse Laura, he helped her into clothes and they drove over to Alistair and Astrid's. When they arrived, they knocked and furiously rang the bell for what seemed like hours, until a very grumpy Alistair opened the door. "What?" He barked. "I was sleeping!"

"Sorry," Edward replied quickly. "We just need a favor. It will only take a moment or two. Can we come in?"

Alistair groaned and gestured for them to come inside. "Now, what is it that you want?" He asked gruffly.

"Laura's not feeling well, and we were wondering if you could tell us what's wrong," Edward replied.

Alistair looked at Edward incredulously. "Are you serious, boy? Don't you realize there's only one thing that could cause someone like her to be ill? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out!"

"Well, what is it, then?" Edward cried.

"I'm pregnant!" Laura burst out. "That's what's wrong with me, okay, Edward? I'm pregnant!"

Edward's eyes widened. "What? No. That's not possible. We used protection!"

"No protection is perfect," Laura told him. "One of your determined little swimmers probably got past it."

Edward leaned back, rubbing his temples. "Your father will kill me!" He said. "And I guess I always knew you were pregnant. I guess I just hoped that because of the timing, it would be something else."

"I'm sure that once Dad hears, he'll understand," Laura replied. "I think that at this point, the worst he'll do is move up the wedding. He won't kill you or anything."

Alistair cleared his throat. "Now that we have that problem solved," he asked, "could you two please leave so I can go back to bed?"

"Sure," Laura nodded and stood up, pulling Edward after her. "Sorry for disturbing you, Alistair."

* * *

When they got home, Laura called her parents to tell them the news. Even though she'd assured him that Elijah wold be fine with it, Selina was the only one he let her tell.

"You're pregnant?" Selina exclaimed. "That's wonderful. Your father will be so happy to hear, but he'll probably want to move up the wedding."

"I figured that," Laura responded. "But Edward's terrified, so please don't tell Daddy yet. Let me do it."

"Have you assured Edward everything will be okay?" Selina asked.

"I've tried," Laura replied. "But he doesn't believe me."

"Poor guy," Selina replied sympathetically. "All right. I'll let you be the one to tell your dad. Congratulations again, and if you need me to come over and take care of you, don't hesitate to call."

"All right," Laura replied. "I won't. Thanks, Mom." She hung up the phone and gave Edward a look. "I told Mom not to tell Dad. Are you happy?"

"For the time being," Edward nodded. "How much extra time do you think that gives us?"

"I don't know," Laura told him. "Just keep in mind that Mom won't be able to keep silent forever and Daddy will have to know sometime."

Then she ran off to the bathroom, leaving Edward alone with his thoughts.

* * *

Stefan and Felicity had gone out to lunch, but Sam had decided to stay home. He'd been reading a book in silence until he heard the doorbell ring. He went to answer it, and felt two men grab him and hit him hard from behind. The next time he came to consciousness, he found himself tied up in the backseat of a car. "What the hell?" He whispered.

"Hey!" he heard a voice from the front seat. "You awake yet, boy?"

"Yes," Sam grumbled. "Who the hell are you? What am I doing here?"

"Our boss ordered us to take you," the man replied. "She's very interested in you."

"Oh, yeah?" Sam chuckled. "If she wants a date from me, there are better ways to ask!"

"You fool!" The man shouted. "What she wants you for is nothing as petty as that. She wants us to bring you to her because you are unnatural. We are taking you to our boss so she can kill you."

"Why me?" Sam asked.

"You're not supposed to be here," the man said. "Your father is a vampire...a made one. He cannot father children, yet here you are. Our boss even stopped looking for a rogue boy brought back from the dead to find you."

"So I have to die for a mistake my father made?" Sam sighed. "Wonderful."

* * *

Stefan and Felicity pulled up to the house after the car that held Sam had disappeared. They went inside and looked for him, then Felicity found the forced open door and the note on Sam's pillow. "Call Grandma," She told Stefan. "Call your brother too. Sam has been kidnapped and they should know."

Stefan nodded and quickly called Damon. "Sam's been kidnapped," he told his brother. "We thought you'd want to know."

"Who kidnapped him?" Damon asked.

"Somebody working for a woman named Hazel," Stefan told him. "I don't know more than that. Felicity and I were gone when it happened."

"All right," Damon nodded. "I'll let Selina know and see if she knows anything about Hazel."

Unfortunately for Damon, Elijah was the one who answered his call first. "Damon," he said. "What could possibly make you need to call my house?"

"It's Selina," Damon got out. "I need to talk to Selina. It's kind of an emergency, so could you just give her the phone, please?"

Elijah sighed and held the phone away from his ear. "Selina!" He called. "You have a phone call!"

Selina came running. "Who is it?" She asked.

"It's Damon Salvatore," Elijah replied. "He claims it's an emergency." Selina nodded and took the phone. "All right," she told Elijah before she put it to her ear. "You can go now that you gave me the message."

Elijah chuckled darkly. "While you converse with your ex-husband? I don't think so. I'll be staying right where I am. Because who's to say he won't start whispering sweet nothings once I'm gone?"

"If he says it's an emergency, I highly doubt romancing me is high on his list of conversational topics," Selina shot back. "You should really try some trust, Elijah."

"Hey!" Damon yelled from the other end of the line. "Did you not hear him tell you it was an emergency, Lina?"

Elijah scowled at the nickname, and Selina quickly put the phone to her ear. "Yes, sorry, Damon. What is it? What's the emergency?"

"According to Felicity and Stefan, Sam's been kidnapped by someone named Hazel. Does that name ring a bell with you?" Damon asked.

"Hazel?" Selina thought a moment. "I know of a Hazel. She's head of the witches and worked with Enid to try and kill off Adrian when I was pregnant with him so her sister Vanessa couldn't take over the world, but I don't have any idea what she'd want with Sam."

"Me neither," Damon replied. "Do you think we should wait for a phone call or something, or go find out where this Hazel lives and punch the daylights out of her until she gives us Sam back?"

"No, we shouldn't do that," Selina shook her head. "And don't you dare try and do it on your own, either. I'll go see Astrid and find out what she can tell me about Hazel, and what course of action we have. Don't do anything until I tell you I've done that, okay?"

"Fine," Damon sighed. "Even though I _really_ just want to hurt someone right now, I'll wait for your call."

"Good," Selina nodded. "Thank you, Damon. Goodbye."

"What's happened?" Elijah asked once Selina hung up.

"Nothing romantic," Selina assured him. "So you can stop with that train of thought. Apparently, Sam's been kidnapped by Vanessa's sister Hazel and we have no idea why."

"What would the most powerful witch in the world want with Sam?" Elijah asked. "There's nothing unusual about the boy. He's only a vampire."

"Oh!" Selina's eyes widened. "Maybe she won't see him that way. He exists because Damon took a potion that he got from Enid that allowed Damon to father children when ordinarily, that's not allowed. Maybe Hazel kidnapped Sam because of that and is gonna do something horrible like try and kill him! Elijah, I can't let that happen! I know I've been a horrible, neglectful mother to Sam, but damn it, I'm not gonna let him die!"

"Well, what is it you propose to do next?" Elijah asked. "I mean, proclamations of intent are nice, but they're useless if they don't turn into action."

"I know," Selina nodded. "I'll go see Alistair. Or Astrid. Whichever one I can find first."

* * *

"Well, well, well," Alistair said when he opened the door and saw Selina on the other side. "Have you come to visit, or do you want something from me too?" He looked tired and pale. "Are you okay?" Selina asked. "Have I come at a bad time? I mean, I can talk to Astrid if you're worn out. And yes, by the way, I _do_ need something from you."

"All right," Alistair sighed. "Come in." He led Selina into the kitchen where Astrid was preparing tea. "Would you like a cup?" She asked Selina.

"Sure," Selina nodded. "Thanks."

Astrid brought her her tea, and they both sat down at the kitchen table. "So," the witch began, "what brings you here? We don't see you all that often."

"She has something she wants from us," Alistair said. "That's a big surprise, isn't it?"

"Are you okay, Alistair?" Selina asked. "Why are you so grumpy? Did something bad happen today?"

"He was woken up much too early by Laura and Edward coming by," Astrid told her. "Apparently, Laura is pregnant. But you knew that already, didn't you?"

"Yes, I know," Selina grinned. "I'm so excited! Elijah will be too, although he's got to have this mask of seriousness put on. And he'll insist we move up the wedding..."

"What is it that you came to ask us?" Alistair interrupted. "Please, just spit it out!"

"My son Sam has been kidnapped by a witch named Hazel," Selina told Astrid. "Is there any way you could, you know, get a hold of her and ask why?"

"How long ago was he kidnapped?" Astrid asked.

Selina shrugged. "Probably an hour or two ago. I don't really know."

"Well, if Hazel hasn't appeared to me to tell me about the kidnapping, that probably means it's nothing that's my business, so we won't know," Astrid replied apologetically. "When Hazel has it in her head to do something, she doesn't always explain why."

"So that's it?" Selina asked. "Some crazy powerful witch has kidnapped my son and I'm not gonna know why or have an opportunity to save him? Would her kidnapping him have something to do with him being the result of a fertility potion Damon got from Enid and drank, even though that's technically illegal?"

Astrid nodded. "That's a very strong possibility," she said. "But I can't help you anymore, I'm sorry."

"All right," Selina nodded. "Thank you, Astrid." Then she looked at Alistair. "Try and get some rest," she suggested. "You look like you need it, and crabby is not a good color on anyone." She made her way out of the house and called Damon.

"Astrid said that the reason Sam was kidnapped might have something to do with the fact that he was conceived by that potion you got from Enid, since technically it's against the laws of nature for made vampires to have children."

"Well, that's not fair!" Damon exclaimed. "If Sam is being punished because I'm a made vampire who fathered a kid and that's illegal, why aren't both your families with Klaus and Elijah on the chopping block too?"

"Because the whole thing with me was foretold or something," Selina replied. "And thus, it's okay. I know it's weird and unfair, but that's how things are." She paused. "Speaking of the potion, I think I'll go to Enid's and talk to her. Maybe I'll find out more that way." She hung up the phone, got in her car, and drove to the bar.

* * *

"Where's Enid?" Selina asked Roxie, who was pouring the drinks. "I need to ask her something."

"She's gone," Roxie said and poured herself a glass of vodka. "Hazel found out about Enid bringing Joey back to life and she was mad as hell about it. Joey got away, though. I hope she doesn't catch him, cause who knows what she'll do since he defies nature by being alive and all."

"I don't think you have to worry about Joey," Selina assured her. "At least not for the moment. Apparently, Hazel found Sam and has turned her interests to him instead. He's been kidnapped, and she did it."

"Well, since he's the product of a potion Damon got from Enid, I'm not surprised," Roxie replied. "And I've told Addie she needs to be extra careful with herself now that Joey's got the bulls-eye on himself. I don't want to lose _both_ of my children."

"It'll be okay," Selina told her. "We'll get this all sorted out in the end, don't you worry."

Roxie nodded and took her mother's hand. "Same to you," she said. "And thanks. I really needed that."

* * *

"So what exactly sent you our way?" Diana asked Joey as she helped him set up his tent. "I mean, we don't have newbie werewolves running here every day."

"Did I tell you before?" Joey asked. "If I didn't, here it is again: Technically, I'm supposed to be dead. My mom took a bunch of supplements when she was pregnant with my twin sister and me in hopes that that would speed up her labor. We were born early, and my sister was small, and I was dead. It would have just been left like that, but Enid felt so bad for my parents that she used her powers to bring me back to life. My bum leg is the consequence of it, I guess, along with a life spent in seclusion because my parents never wanted Hazel to find out that Enid had broken the rules. But she has, and that's why I'm here. I need somewhere to hide."

"Well, maybe you're safe now," Diana suggested. "No one's come this way looking for you."

"If you don't want me here, why are you helping me set up a tent?" Joey asked her.

"It's not that I don't want you here," Diana replied. "But if you had a choice between being here or being with your family, which one would you pick? And be honest."

"Here," Joey said immediately. "Being here, it's the freest I've felt in my entire life."

"But aren't you worried about the family you've left behind?" Diana asked. "Don't you think your family is worried about you?"

Joey nodded. "They probably are, but I have my phone. Eventually, I'll call them and tell them I'm okay. That should clear things up."

Just then, a tall man approached both him and Diana. He looked imposing and had sunburnt skin and thick, bushy eybrows over mud-colored eyes.

"Diana," he asked her, indicating Joey. "Who's this?"

"His pack expelled him," Diana explained. "Well, actually he doesn't_ have_ a pack. But he needs a place to stay and I thought we could take him in. You don't mind, do you, Daddy?"

The man rolled his eyes. "Diana, you know how I hate your habit of bringing in strays. Do you know how dangerous it is? He might not even be a werewolf, but a human preparing to expose the whole species to the world instead!"

Diana turned to face Joey, her eyes wide. "I didn't think of that," she said. "You really _are_ a werewolf, aren't you?"

"Not officially," Joey replied. "But both my parents are, and Enid who runs the bar is my godmother."

"Well, I suppose that's good enough," Diana's father replied gruffly. "Now, who are your parents?"

"My mom is Roxie Talbot, and my dad is Vince Talbot," Joey replied immediately.

Diana moved instinctively in front of Joey as her father's teeth became bared and his eyes showed anger.

"Daddy?" She asked fearfully. "What's the matter?"

"Don't you protect him," her father huffed. "He's a Talbot. And any trouble he brings with him will just mean worse for the rest of us. Send him away, Diana."

"But Daddy, he's got a bad leg!" Diana cried. "He can't survive out there by himself!"

"So much the better!" Her father replied. "One less Talbot in the world is better for everyone."

"What was that about?" Joey asked as his leg finally gave out and he collapsed on the ground.

"I don't know," Diana replied, watching her father walk away. "But I won't send you away. Whatever has gone on between my family and yours, it won't make me turn my back on you, even if my father exiles both of us."

**A/N: This story is a crossover with my soon to be written fic, "Shadows of the Past."**


	2. A Romeo and Juliet Story

Ever since Enid had been found out by her sister, attendance at the bar was down. Roxie came every day to do her duty behind the bar, but she always ended up drinking more than she served.

Finally, one day her cell phone rang. After being in silence for so long, it startled her and she dropped her glass on the floor, where it shattered. "H-Hello?" She got out. "Who is this?"

"It's me, Mom," Joey told her. "I wanted to let you know I wasn't dead."

"Joey, oh, my god!" Roxie could feel herself start to cry with relief. "Where are you? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm staying with a wolf pack that lives not too far from Aunt Enid's," He told her. "It's fine, even though the alpha male seems to have an issue with Dad's family. Would you know anything about that?"

"No," Roxie shook her head. "If you wanna know anything about your dad's family, you'll have to ask him. I'm glad you called though, and even more glad that you're okay."

"You know why I can't come back, though, right?" Joey asked. "And why you and Dad should never try to find me?"

"Yes," Roxie replied with a sigh. "I know. Just take care of yourself, okay?"

Then, with one last goodbye, Joey hung up and Roxie went into the bathroom to cry. Vince came in a few minutes later, and even though she was relieved to have his arms around her, she said, "What are you doing in here? This is the ladies' room."

Vince kissed her hair. "What happened? Do you need to go home?"

"No," Roxie sniffled and shook her head. "Joey just called is all. And he's okay. He had some questions that only you could answer, though, so expect a call from him later."

"All right," Vince nodded and held her against him. "I'll be waiting for it."

* * *

The call came several hours later while Vince waited out the night shift. "Joey?" He said immediately without even saying 'Hello'. "Your mother said you would call. Is everything all right?"

"Yeah," Joey replied. "Like I told Mom, I'm with a werewolf pack that doesn't live too far from the bar. The alpha male doesn't seem to like me too much and apparently has some issues with your family."

"Well, what's the alpha's name?" Vince asked, pulling his keys out of his pocket and preparing to go out to his car. Since the pack's camp was near the bar, it wouldn't be that far of a drive.

"I don't know," Joey replied. "But his daughter's name is Diana. I could ask her. Are there so many people that have trouble with your family that not even one specific name jumps out at you?"

"No, of course not," Vince replied. "But the problem will be solved in a few minutes because I'm coming to the camp. The bar can manage without me. No one is coming in here anyway."

"No!" Joey replied immediately. "Don't come here, Dad. Please."

"Look," Vince told him. "I know you hate us coddling you and you want to have your independence, but I really don't think being in a pack where the leader hates our family is the best place for you."

"Diana said she'd keep me safe, Dad!" Joey insisted. "I'm fine!"

Vince sighed. "You said this Diana was the alpha's daughter? Does she have the same hatred for our family that her father does?"

"No," Joey replied. "I don't think so."

"If you two can get away," Vince said, "bring her to the bar so I can meet her. I'm doing the night shift and there's no one here, so we should be able to have a nice conversation."

"But what about the psycho lady who tried to kill me?" Joey asked. "I don't want to be around her again!"

"She's not here," Vince assured his son. "They're at Enid's apartment, so you'll be safe."

"All right," Joey sighed. "We'll be there in a few minutes." He got off his cell phone and looked at Diana. She'd tucked a strand of red hair behind her ears and was surveying him thoughtfully. "So what did your dad tell you?"

"Nothing yet," Joey said. "He's working the late shift at Enid's, no one is around, and he wants to meet us there. Will you come with me?"

"Well, if your dad wants to talk to me too, then I _should_ come with you, shouldn't I?" She eyed her father, who was talking with another one of the burly werewolves. "Dad's busy. He won't miss us for awhile." She led Joey into a clearing where a few Jeeps were hidden under the trees. Each one had a key in the ignition. She got in and then helped Joey into the seat beside her.

"Should we really be using this car?" He asked her. "Isn't it considered stealing?"

"No," Diana shrugged. "These cars are for everyone. Whenever someone needs one, they can just take it, as long as they bring it back."

"Oh," Joey nodded. "That's convenient."

"Yeah, I know," Diana winked. "Isn't it?" They drove to the bar, parked, and strolled inside, where it was as empty as Vince had made it out to be and he stood behind the bar, clearly bored.

"Hey," Diana said, approaching him and sitting on a bar stool. "You wouldn't mind making me a vodka and cranberry juice, would you?"

"It depends," Vince told her. "Are you old enough?"

"Oh, come on!" Diana scoffed. She pulled some bills out of the pocket of her pants. "The bar needs the money and I'm willing to pay! And it's not like you'll be arrested for serving me."

"I'll get you plain cranberry juice," Vince told her firmly. "But that's all."

"Tough luck," Joey said sympathetically as he sat beside her. "If it had been my mom who was bartending, she probably would have just given it to you."

"Well, damn," Diana replied, making faces at Vince while his back was turned. "Just my luck."

Vince gave her her juice and looked at Joey. "You want anything?"

"A Coke," Joey replied. "And don't worry, I don't want anything in it."

"Good for you," Vince told him."

After they had their drinks, Joey looked at his father. "So, what's the problem between Diana's family and ours?"

Vince looked at Diana. "Who's your father?"

"Peter," Diana replied, locking eyes with him. "Peter Lucas."

"Oh, fuck," Vince sighed. "Not the Lucases."

"What's wrong with us?" Diana asked. "What did we do?"

"First question," Vince said as he looked back and forth between Diana and Joey. "You two aren't in love or anything like that, are you?"

"Dad!" Joey cried as Diana reddened a little. "We just met!"

"Well, I'm just saying that if you plan to go any farther than being friends, I don't think you should, at least not for now."

"Why not?" Diana asked.

"This is gonna sound incredibly stupid, but...several years ago, my great grandfather, activated his gene by killing an inactive girl from another pack. They'd been dating, they had a fight the night of the full moon, he lost control and he killed her. When her father (the girl was a Lucas) found out that my great-grandfather was the one who killed her, he swore vengeance and things have not exactly been copacetic between our two families since then."

"Wow," Joey said, looking at Diana. "I'm surprised your father didn't kill me."

"Yeah, me too," Vince replied. "Maybe somehow he knew that you were your grandfather's grandson. That would make him at least keep you alive, don't you think?"

"Why would that matter?" Joey asked.

"Have I told you why you've never met my parents?" Vince asked.

"You said they were dead,"Joey replied.

Vince nodded. "The day your mother and I first met, we were just kids, and my father kidnapped Roxie and brought her to our pack's base because he thought she'd be able to tell him something about Enid's sister Vanessa, who had it in for the werewolves. My parents even tortured your mother for information, until finally your mother's parents came to rescue her and just did mine in. Diana's family was probably grateful to Klaus after that."

"Mom's parents killed your parents?" Joey asked. "Why did you still like Mom, then?"

Vince sighed. "I always liked my Uncle Pete better than my parents anyway, and your grandparents were only doing what they had to do to save your mother."

"And his grandfather is...?" Diana asked.

Vince sighed. "Klaus Mikaelson."

Diana gasped. "The hybrid?"

"Yes," Vince nodded. "The Original hybrid."

* * *

"Now, I don't see what I did wrong," Enid yelled at her sister. "I did _nothing_ wrong!"

"If you did nothing wrong, then why is the Talbot boy alive, Enid? You know very well he was born dead!" Hazel shouted back.

"I know that!" Enid replied. "I was there when he was born. But if you could have just seen how upset his parents were...I knew that if I had a way to ease their pain, I had to do it."

"It's unnatural," Hazel replied, her gaze cold. "What's dead should stay dead!"

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "What?" Hazel called angrily. "I'm in the middle of something here!"

"We have the boy!" One of her henchmen called back. "Wanna see him?"

Enid's eyes widened. "You caught Joey already? Don't hurt him. He's been through enough."

But to her surprise, a different boy was brought in. "Who are you?" Enid asked him. "You don't look like Joey."

"I'm not," Sam panted. "I'm Sam. You gave my father some fertility potion and here I am!"

"Oh, Hazel!" Enid scolded her sister. "Honestly? Him too? Poor boy."

"His father is a vampire," Hazel replied bitingly. "A_ made _vampire. Father had all made vampires die as part of their transformation for a reason: so they wouldn't be fertile like the Originals, and the world wouldn't be overrun with vampires. As the creator of werewolves, I would think you'd understand this more than anyone."

"But I'm also someone in charge of fertility," Enid reminded her sister. "Remember what they said of me? That I could get even the most barren woman pregnant. I don't see what's so wrong about my doing my job." She quickly turned to Sam. "And who are your parents?"

"Would you remember them if I told you?" Sam asked.

"Well, I haven't given out potion to that many people, so I would think so...wait!" She said as she looked at him. "Damon Salvatore! Your father is Damon Salvatore."

"Yes," Sam nodded. "Good job!"

"You know, I gave him the potion because Roxie told me he'd be responsible with it and not have his ex-wife Selina be the mother of the baby," Enid told him. "So, what kind of woman did he choose to be your mother?"

"It was Selina, actually," Sam replied. "They got drunk together the day he got the potion and accidentally hooked up after he took it. That's why I grew up mainly with my dad. And why Mom went and had sex with her husband after, which is why I have a twin sister named Lucy who is now sleeping with my dad just because they can. Isn't that dandy?"

"See?" Hazel told Enid. "This is exactly why you can't go around giving fertility potion to everyone who asks for it. Do you even think before you hand it over? Cause if you're not careful, you ruin lives, just like you did with this young man here!"

"Does that mean you won't kill me?" Sam asked, looking in amazement at Hazel. "Cause your goons made it pretty clear on the way over here that that was the plan."

"I'll tell them I've changed my mind," Hazel said crisply. "I'll spare you if you're willing to help me catch someone else. Would you?"

"But Hazel-" Enid began and her sister cut her off. "Be silent!" She said harshly. "If it wasn't for your foolishness, I wouldn't have to do this."

Enid sat down on a chair, a scowl on her face.

"Who do you want me to help you catch?" Sam asked, looking interested.

"He's a boy my sister brought back from the dead when he was a baby," Hazel replied. "He shouldn't be alive and I want him dead."

"Why is it taking you so long to find him if you're so determined?" Enid asked. "I thought you'd find him quickly and be done with it all. Admit it, Hazel. You have sympathy for him. You want to give him a chance to keep his life. That's why you're not working as quickly as you're capable of."

Hazel sighed. "As much as I would love to let the boy go," she said, "It's against the rules to use magic to make what is dead alive again. I didn't make that rule, Father did, and the boy would suffer more cruelly at Father's hands than he would mine. What I'm doing is a mercy."

She looked at Sam. "So will you help me?" She asked.

"Sure," Sam replied. "Just tell me what I have to do. And can I call my parents to tell them I'm gonna be okay?"

"Of course," Hazel replied. "Go right on ahead."

* * *

"Laura!" Selina exclaimed when she opened the door. "Are you here for what I think you're here for?" She'd just gotten the call from Sam, and knowing that he was still alive eased her mind very much.

"Yeah," Laura nodded. "We might as well get it over with." She was holding Edward's hand and gave it a vigorous tug, but he resisted, staying out of Selina's line of vision. "No, thank you," he said. "I think I'll just stay in the car."

"You're partially responsible for this," Laura pointed out. "So you have to help me tell Daddy. It's only fair." Finally, he relented and Selina called Elijah.

"What is it?" He asked. Then he looked at Edward. "Edward! How are you, son?" The moniker made Edward feel ill. "Excuse me," he said. "I have to go to the bathroom."

"I wonder what's the matter with him?" Selina replied. "There's a flu bug going around. He should be careful of it. It's lucky you can't catch anything, Laura."

"Yeah," Laura cleared her throat. "Especially with the baby coming and everything."

Elijah's eyes widened and he sat hard in a chair. "Baby?" He asked, locking eyes with Laura. "What baby?"

"Now, don't get mad, Daddy," Laura told him. "But despite all the protection we used, I'm pregnant. Are you mad?"

"Well, I'm surprised," Elijah said. "But if you used all the protection you could, and it happened anyway, I can't be mad, can I? Of course we _will _have to move up the wedding." He grinned at Laura. "That's not a problem, is it, dear?"

"No," Laura replied and sat down. "Go ahead and send whatever invitations you need to."

"Already done," Elijah told her.

"What?" Laura asked in surprise. "How could you have sent out invitations already? You just want to get rid of me now, don't you?"

"No, of course not!" Elijah replied. "Your mother says I'm too eager, but I promise it has nothing to do with me wanting to get rid of you."

"So what are you gonna do about the invitations?" Laura asked. "You'll have to send out new ones with the earlier date on them."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Elijah replied as he leaned over to give her a hug,

"Don't squeeze too tight," Laura warned him. "I haven't been feeling the best lately."

"I understand," Elijah said, eying Selina. "Trust me, I do."

"So just to clear things up for me," Edward replied, edging toward the group. "No one is mad at me."

"No," Elijah replied. "Things happen, and you're engaged. I would have been more angry if you hadn't already been engaged and were just throwing caution to the wind behind my back, but that's not the case, so I won't hold this against you."

"Oh, thank god," Edward said and collapsed.

"He was waiting for the axe to fall," Laura told her father.

Just then, Selina came in with the mail. "We've actually had a couple of replies for the wedding," she said.

"Oh?" Elijah asked. "Who?"

"Klaus and Amy, and your brother Kol and someone named Margot. I think that's Amy's sister," Selina replied. "I'll make sure to let them know the date is being moved up."

"Good," Elijah said. "You know, dear," he continued to Selina, "you're taking to planning this wedding quite well."

"Well, thank you for noticing," Selina replied. "I don't think I'll ever be as enthusiastic as you, but I like to think I'm doing my best. Speaking of-" She went and got a pad of paper and a pencil. "While you two are here, what do you want to do about cake?" As soon as she asked this, she looked apologetically at Laura. "Can we talk about this?" She asked. "Will you be okay?"

"Yes," Laura replied. "I can talk about food, but being around it is another story." She paused. "I want chocolate cake!" She looked at Edward. "Is that okay?"

"Yes," Edward nodded. "But wouldn't it be a shame to have a food you really like ordered and then not be able to eat it because it'll make you sick?"

"Suggestion!" Selina replied suddenly.

"What?" Elijah asked. "Please share."

"Well," Selina said, "What if we got them married at the courthouse now, and then had another wedding when Laura could, you know, eat and enjoy it, and that would be the one we invited everyone to? Is that okay?"

"A courthouse wedding just feels like a walk of shame, you know?" Laura replied. "One of those hush-hush things that fathers do because they're ashamed their daughters have libidos. I don't want to feel shame! I didn't do anything wrong!"

"All right, sorry," Selina said quickly. "It was just a suggestion so you'd be able to enjoy the wedding more, but if you feel you want to press ahead now, who am I to stop you?"

"So we're decided," Elijah replied, looking at a determined Laura. "We'll move the wedding up, and do every part of it as scheduled.

"You're damn right we will!" Laura said. "Bring it on!" Then the room began to spin and she fainted in Edward's lap.

"I'll go lay her down," Edward said. "If she wants to have this big wedding, she'll need to save all the energy she can."

"I don't know if the decision to do so was gutsy or just really foolish," Selina replied as Edward walked away with Laura.

"Either way," Elijah said, taking her in his arms. "It really shows she's your daughter, doesn't it?"

"Well, thanks," Selina told him. "I think."


	3. A Wedding Surprise

"We get married today!" Edward whispered to Laura as they woke up the day of the wedding. "How are you feeling?"

Laura rolled over to face him. "Better than I have been, I guess, but still not the best. At least I only have one more month until all the nausea and stuff goes away, according to my mother." She sat up and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Do you feel sick?" Edward asked. "Do you need me to get you some crackers or something?"

"No, thanks," Laura shook her head. "I think I just need to sit for a little while."

Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Come in," Laura called.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Selina asked, coming to sit next to Laura. "I know you want to be brave and not disappoint your father, but we told everyone on the invitation that there was a possibility things could be changed based on how you feel."

"I'm all right, Mom," Laura replied. "Just a little tired."

"All right," Selina said. "If you insist." She left the bedroom and went to find Elijah, who, of course, was already dressed. "How's Laura?" He asked. "Will she make it?"

"She says 'Yes'," Selina nodded. "But part of me just wants to go against her wishes and hold the whole thing off for awhile. I've been pregnant during a wedding before. Hell, I've even given _birth_ during a wedding and it sucks the joy out of everything if that's all you can focus on."

"And I agree," Elijah nodded. "But you know she'll balk if we try and force her to change plans. So we'll just let things go and hope for the best."

"Yeah," Selina put her arms around him. "That's all we can do."

* * *

"Now, are you sure you want to do this?" Selina asked Laura as she, Edward, Laura, and Elijah settled themselves at the venue. "Cause we don't have to."

"I know," Laura said. "You've told me five thousand times and you'll probably tell me a thousand more. But I just_ really_ wanna be married. I don't want to wait anymore."

"Well, that's nice," Edward replied. "I feel really loved."

"By the way," Laura asked her parents. "Who all is coming to this wedding anyway? We know Edward's family won't, so you're mostly filling up the venue with people from our side, right?"

"Yes, I'm afraid," Elijah nodded. "I'm sorry, Edward."

"It's no problem," Edward shrugged it off. "I'm sure you did your best."

"So we have your friends, his friends, some of ours, and whomever Roxie got to come from the bar," Selina summarized. "That should fill the room at least."

Laura sighed and put her hands over her eyes.

"Are you all right?" Edward asked her.

"Yeah," Laura nodded. "I mean, it's too late to wish we would've eloped now, isn't it?"

Edward chuckled. He wanted to hold her in his arms, but he didn't want to wrinkle or otherwise ruin her dress. So he just patted her on the head and tried to assure her that all would be well.

"Thanks," Laura smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "I feel better already. Mentally, anyway. Physically, it's anybody's guess what will happen."

"Think positive thoughts," Selina suggested. "Maybe if you don't think about being sick, you won't be."

"Does that work?" Laura asked. "I mean, if anyone would know, you would."

"I haven't felt it work yet," Selina replied. "But there's a first time for everything, and this could be the day!"

"Yeah," Laura nodded. "Here's hoping."

"All right, everyone!" Roxie's daughter Addie, who was Laura's maid of honor, proclaimed as she strode into the dressing room. "Everyone who isn't me or Laura, get out!" She caught sight of Edward. "And you're not even supposed to be in here looking at her anyway. You wanna ruin everything?"

"Since when do you care about 'everything'?" Edward asked with a grin. "I thought you were opposed to everything about marriage and think all the traditions are stupid."

"I do," Addie nodded. "For myself, I mean. If other people want to go through a bunch of mumbo jumbo for a person who in most cases will probably end up dumping them anyway, that's their prerogative."

"Well, gee," Laura said sarcastically. "Thanks for the happy thoughts. Even _your_ parents got married, Addie. And they don't seem to be on the verge of dumping each other."

"That's because they're mated," Addie replied. "Which is sort of a guarantee, isn't it?"

"Well, except for me and Klaus," Selina replied, causing Elijah to turn around quick. "That ended. And I think Roxie's friend Charlie's parents split up, and _they_ were mated-"

"All right, all right, I get the point, I was wrong," Addie replied irritably. "Let's change the subject." She then pulled some pills out of her pocket. "Here," she said. "Take these. They'll help you get through this thing."

Laura shook her head. "Thanks, but your mom told me a story about the time she was bridesmaid for her best friend Charlie and ended up giving her pills that were meant for her Mom and they made her all woozy so everything was just shot to hell. I think I'll stay away from the pills."

"All right," Addie replied. "But you can't say I didn't offer them to you. I can't believe you're pregnant too. You're just getting everything out of the way at once, aren't you?"

"Apparently," Laura nodded. "But we can handle it."

Addie sighed as she put on Laura's makeup. "That makes you a better person than me," she replied.

It was then that they began to hear voices outside.

"Guests are arriving," Elijah said, poking his head into the dressing room. "Your mother and I will get everyone settled. You just stay here and wait for your cue."

"All right, Daddy!" Laura cried. "Relax! You seem more stressed than I am!"

"Right," Elijah nodded, taking a breath. "Everything will be all right!"

"You think it will be?" Addie asked once Elijah was gone."

"I hope so," Laura replied, taking a breath of her own. "I really do."

* * *

Eventually, everyone was settled at the end of the aisle, and they were all prepared for Laura to show up. The wedding march started, and to everyone's surprise, there was no Laura. The song started three more times and still, she didn't appear.

"Well, this was unexpected," Edward's best man, Robert, whispered to him. "I thought she liked you. Who'd have thunk that she'd run out at a time like this?" All the other guests (the majority of whom didn't know Laura was pregnant) started whispering similar things amongst themselves. Then Selina went up to Addie, and asked, "Did she mention something to you about wanting to delay the wedding?"

"No," Addie shook her head. "I would have killed her if she made me wear this ridiculous green dress and makeup for nothing. I _swear _she was waiting just outside the door when I lined up with everyone else."

Elijah told Selina to find a way to distract the guests while he and Edward looked for Laura.

"I'm sure you have nothing to worry about," Elijah told Edward, a firm hand on his shoulder. They looked and looked until they passed one of the bathrooms and heard someone being sick inside. "Laura?" Edward called. "Is that you?"

There was a flush and Laura said, "Is it time for me to go on? I'm sorry. I felt sick just as everyone else went up the aisle and-" Edward opened the door and went in while Elijah stationed himself outside. "How sick do you feel right now?" He asked.

"I think it would be better for me to stay by the toilet," Laura replied. "Have I ruined everything?"

"No, you haven't," Edward told her. "Your father and I will make everything all right. None of this is your fault."

"Good," Laura said. "Cause I know there are a lot of people out there who want this to happen and I don't want to disappoint them."

"It's not about them," Elijah told Laura. "It's about you! This is your day, and if you want to call things off and do this later, you can do that."

"No," Laura shook her head. "Just let me have a few more minutes," she said. "If I'm not out in a few minutes, you can tell everyone we're postponing until I feel better, but I can make this work!"

"All right," Elijah said skeptically. "If you say so, darling." He and Edward then went back to wait for Laura, with Elijah hoping, despite what he told her, that they'd be able to pull everything off today and there wouldn't be any delays.

* * *

Just when Elijah thought he was gonna have to tell everyone to go home, Laura suddenly came speeding through the door. "Wait!" She cried as everyone turned in surprise. "Daddy, don't say anything! We have a very small window before I feel sick again, so let's take advantage of it, damn it!"

She let Edward pull her behind him like a skier until they reached the front of the room. Then, Laura ordered the officiator to skip all the excess stuff in the vows and get to the important part.

"We'll tell you our vows at the reception, everybody," Edward promised them.

They turned back to the officiator, who looked at Edward. "Do you, Edward Emerson, take Laura Christina Mikaelson to be your wedded wife for as long as you both shall live?"

Edward nodded, squeezing Laura's hand. "I do."

The officiator now looked at Laura. "Do you, Laura Christina Mikaelson, take Edward Emerson to be your lawfully wedded husband for as long as you both shall live?" Laura nodded. "I do."

"If anyone has any objections, let them speak now, or forever hold their peace." Elijah stood up and gave everyone a glare so that no one even moved. "Then, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife," The officiator finished. "You may now-" That's when Laura kissed Edward deeply, and everyone applauded loudly for the happy couple. Then, Laura pulled away, her eyes wide, and ran for the bathroom, fistfuls of skirt in her hand.

"Why go through with the marriage if she's gonna abandon him beforehand or abandon him afterward?" One of the guests asked.

"No one is abandoning anyone," Selina replied. "Relax. She's pregnant, it's in the early stages, and morning sickness is showing up. That's all it is."

This started a whole new bunch of muttering and Elijah frowned at Selina. "I was hoping to announce that part more privately," he told her.

"Oh," Selina nodded. "I see. So it's still something you're ashamed of?"

"No!" Elijah shook his head. "I just feel that it's not something you blurt out. I am _very_ happy we're going to have another grandchild!"

Selina scoffed. "You could've fooled me."

"This is Laura and Edward's day," Elijah said through his teeth. "It's not the time to start a fuss."

"Well, than maybe you shouldn't have started one!" Selina whispered.

"Which fuss did I start?" Elijah replied.

"The fuss about announcing Laura's pregnancy privately!" Selina shot back. "You're making much too big a deal out of it!"

"Are we interrupting something?" Amy asked, causing Selina and Elijah to stop arguing. "If we are, we'll come back."

"No," Selina said, giving her a hug while Elijah shook Klaus' hand. "Thank you for coming. We're glad you could make it in spite of the date change."

"Oh, of course!" Amy replied. "It's nice to have something to do out of the house."

"Can I ask who you got to watch Savannah?" Selina said. "Cause Helene and Roxie are both here and they're her normal babysitters."

"Her ex-fiance is doing it," Klaus replied crisply. "He made the offer and Amy forced me to take him up on it."

Selina's eyes widened. "You mean your ex-fiance who was in jail? Are you sure Savannah will be okay?"

"Oh, yes," Klaus replied sarcastically. "Savannah just _loves_ him. Even more than she loves me!"

"Stop," Amy replied, her eyes closed tight. "Just stop right now. I can't take you anywhere, can I?"

"Maybe you can't," Klaus replied. "Maybe you should have brought precious Jonathan as your date instead and I could have stayed home with Savannah!"

"Well, maybe that would have been best!" Amy snapped and looked apologetically at Selina. "We have to go now," she said. "Give Laura our best, please, and say we're sorry we couldn't stay longer. We'll be at the reception for sure, though."

"All right," Selina nodded. "I will!" She then went in search of her daughter, who she eventually found chatting with guests. "Good to see you're still up and about," she said. "Do you think you'll be able to handle the reception, or that maybe that would be pushing your luck?"

"I don't know," Laura replied. "I feel all right now, but I kind of don't want to push it. What do you think?"

"Well, I think that if you don't wanna go, you shouldn't go," Selina replied. "Now that everyone knows why you'd be bowing out, I'm sure they wouldn't hold it against you."

"All right," Laura said decisively. "I'll go get Edward to take me home in Daddy's car, and ask him to save me a piece of cake."

"Sounds like a plan," Selina told her. "And congratulations, sweetie!"

"Thanks, Mom!" Laura called back. She then found Edward. "Will you take me home? I don't want to tire myself out."

"All right," Edward nodded. "Let's go."

"Thanks, husband," Laura grinned.

Edward put his arm around her. "It's no problem, wife." They started to make their way out the door when two of his groomsmen stopped them.

"Hey," Edward's friend Jack said. "Since Laura isn't feeling well, do you want Toby and me to come with you so we can bring back the car in case you want to stay with her?"

"Sure," Edward told them. "That's a good idea!"

"That's so sweet," Laura said. "But it's really not necessary. At least one of us should enjoy our wedding reception. I can take care of myself."

Edward gave her a look. "Do you honestly think I'm just gonna let this go?" He asked. "I know you can handle yourself, but I'm not really comfortable with leaving you alone."

"Fine," Laura said, first to Edward, then Jack and Toby. "You win. "Let's go."


	4. A Silver Lining

"You know, it's really sweet of you to take care of me like this, Edward," Laura replied as he fussed with her covers. "But really, I'll be all right. You and the boys should go on to the reception, especially while you still can. The weather's looking pretty bad out there."

"Like I told you before, I don't have to go," Edward told her for the thousandth time. "I can stay here with you if the storm will make you nervous."

"You're sweet, but don't be silly, Edward," Laura grinned at him. "I promise I'll be all right by myself and you go accept all the congratulations from people who want to toast us. Then you can come back with the piece of cake you saved me!"

"All right," Edward replied skeptically. "If you're sure." Laura nodded and he reluctantly left her behind. Then he and his groomsmen got in the car and started in the direction of the reception hall. They drove and drove without incident until, when they were very nearly there, a flash of lightning illuminated a deer in the road. Between the darkness and and the rain, Edward didn't have the best visibility. He swerved just in time to avoid hitting the deer, but hit a tree instead, smashing his car to bits and feeling himself black out.

When he came back to consciousness, his first move was to look for his two friends, but to his horror, he discovered that both of them were dead. "Oh, my god," he whispered. "I've done it. I've activated my curse. That and the baby is a _fine_ way to start out my marriage." And even worse: How would he tell Elijah? He shut his eyes and tried to pull himself together. After taking a breath, he pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket and made two calls: one, to the police to tell them about the wreck, and another to Selina to come pick him up and take him where he needed to go.

Eventually, both the police and ambulance came and took the bodies away, then Selina and Edward drove to the reception hall and she led him inside.

"Are you all right?" Selina asked Edward. "Can I get you cake or something? It couldn't have been pleasant to be in that wreck."

Edward nodded. "And you have to promise not to tell Elijah about my two dead friends. I don't know how well he'll respond to the idea that his daughter married a man who's gonna be a werewolf at the next full moon."

"I know, I'm sorry," Selina replied. "And just in time to ruin your wedding, too. Don't worry, I won't tell Elijah, I promise. This'll be our secret. Everything will be okay."

After that, Edward tried to keep calm, especially when Elijah strode up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "There's the married man!" He cried jovially. "How are you feeling, Edward?"

"All right, sir," Edward nodded. "Better than Laura, anyway. She thought it would be best for her to stay home."

Elijah nodded. "I can understand that, but I'll see her later. Now why don't you come along with me and celebrate like we should today?" Edward nodded and followed along, smiling a hollow smile at everyone who gave him their best wishes and just praying that the celebration would be over as soon as possible. He noticed Klaus' wife Amy and her companion, a man he'd never seen before, leave early, and Edward wished he could just follow them out the door.

Finally, just when he thought would burst, the party ended. Edward grabbed Laura the piece of cake she requested, then Selina drove him home. When she returned to her and Elijah's, however, Elijah had questions for her.

"Can you tell me, my dear," he asked, "why Edward left the wedding with two groomsmen and a car and returned to the reception with neither groomsmen nor car? And his face! What in the world happened to his face? I didn't think it would be polite to ask him when he was being celebrated, but since you seem to know, you could tell me."

"I understand you're curious," Selina told him. "But that's not my secret to tell. When Edward finds it in himself to tell you what happened, he will, and not a moment before." She then strode off, leaving Elijah alone with his thoughts. He headed to his and Selina's bedroom to retrieve a box from under the bed. In the box were photo albums of all the children's baby pictures. He found Laura's album, took it to his office, locked the office door, and then sat at his desk, looking over pictures of his first baby girl, and mourning circumstances that led to him not recognizing any of the pictures of her that were taken after age three. That was when his father had imprisoned him as punishment for loving Selina, and the cost to him had been more than his father could ever know. He'd lost six years of his eldest three children's lives, and he'd never get them back. All he had of them now were the pictures.

* * *

"So how was the party?" Laura asked Edward as he trudged wearily back into the apartment. "Did you have fun?"

"No," Edward sighed, plunking down a plate beside her. "I had other things on my mind. And here's your cake. How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Laura replied, looking concerned. "Edward, what's the matter? Has something happened?"

"Well, yes, but I don't want to tell you about it," Edward told her. "It'll just ruin things."

"Edward," Laura said firmly. "If there's a problem, you should tell me so we can work it out together."

"All right," Edward sighed. "But if you miscarry, remember that I didn't want to tell you in the first place."

"Edward," Laura's voice was more worried now. "Just tell me what the hell happened."

"I got in an accident on the way back to the reception!" Edward burst out. "There was thunder, and a deer in the road, and we crashed. Everyone died except me, and now, on the next full moon, I'm gonna turn into a werewolf."

"Oh, Edward!" Laura let out her breath. "That's not so bad! It could be worse! I thought you were talking about something _really_ bad. Not that two of your groomsmen dying isn't bad, but-"

"What could be worse?" Edward asked. "Not only do I have to be stressed out about becoming a new parent, but I have to deal with being a new werewolf as well? Why don't they just set locusts on me or something. Cause really, it's not fair at all."

"I know it's not," Laura said, patting the empty space beside her on the bed. "But we'll deal with it. Come sit by me."

Sighing, Edward went and sat by Laura on the bed. "Want me to get a fork for your cake?" He asked.

"No," Laura shook her head. "Just hand me the plate. It's not a big piece." He handed her the plate and tried to conceal his disgust as she ate it with her fingers, even licking the frosting off them afterward.

"Why don't you use silverware?" He asked. "For heaven's sake, Laura. You're not an animal!"

"Relax!" Laura replied. "It's not like I got crumbs or frosting on the blankets or anything."

Edward sighed and climbed in bed next to her. "You're right, I'm sorry. I guess I'm just a little on edge right now."

"I know," Laura nodded. "But it's our wedding night. That should ease your mind for a few hours, right?"

"Well, are you up to it?" Edward asked. "Don't push yourself to do something you don't feel up for just to please me."

"Trust me," Laura told him. "It's fine. Now come here!" To his surprise, she pulled him to her and kissed him hard.

"Laura!" He whispered in surprise.

"What?" She asked, pulling back in surprise. "You think that just because I'm pregnant, I can't pull off a great wedding night? Now either you undress yourself or I do!"

Still a little shocked, Edward quickly undressed, then watched as Laura slowly undressed for him, praying that she wouldn't suddenly fall ill and spoil the mood. Then, she climbed back in bed beside him and he took her in his arms. "Are you all right?" He asked.

"You don't have to keep asking me that," Laura replied. "I'm fine!" And just to prove it, she reached down and began stroking him. "Oh, god, thank you," he whispered as he lay back on the bed. "Thank you, I _needed_ this."

"I know you did," Laura replied. Then Edward's eyes widened as she leaned down and began sucking on him. Eventually, Edward's breathing became shallow until finally, he felt as if he was gonna explode inside. He let out a yell, and then shut his eyes, feeling sweat run down is forehead.

"Are you all right?" Laura asked.

"Yes," Edward nodded. "Are you?"

"Yep," Laura nodded. "You need to rest a bit before I have my turn?"

"Yes," Edward replied, his eyes wide. "That would be a good thing to do, thank you." So they rested, with Laura gently massaging his ab muscles. "You know," she said, "it's cute the way you're acting as if this is the first time we've done this. Like it's all a big surprise to you."

Edward chuckled a little. "Well, it's not the actions themselves that are surprising to me, but the intensity of them. I felt what you just did much more than I have before." He paused. "Do you think that's a werewolf thing?"

"Possibly," Laura nodded. "Seeing as how you didn't feel this way until _after_ your gene was activated. At least that's _one_ silver lining, right?" She giggled.

"Yeah," Edward nodded. "I guess that's something." After a few minutes, he pulled her to him. "Ready for your turn?" He asked with a look Laura could only describe as wicked.

"Sure!" Laura replied, then gasped in surprise when he didn't stand on ceremony, went straight to business, and filled her again, and again, and again.

* * *

Selina's eyes opened quite suddenly, and she felt around on the mattress beside her. It was empty. Elijah was gone. Sighing, she put on a bathrobe and headed straight to his office. Without knocking, cause she wasn't even sure he was in there, she went inside and found him asleep, his head on Laura's baby photo book, his eyes closed. She smiled to herself and instead of moving anything, or waking him up, she went and pulled a blanket off the sofa bed to put around him before climbing onto the sofa herself and shutting her eyes. She wanted him to have company when he woke up, cause he was clearly going through something that he couldn't handle alone.

The next morning, Elijah woke up and looked down at the open book of photos before running his fingers through his hair and shrugging off the blanket. Frowning, he whispered to himself, "I don't remember wearing a blanket." Then, he swiveled the chair around and smiled as he saw Selina asleep on the sofa, her dark hair splayed out around her face. He got up, strode over to the the sofa, leaned down, and kissed her cheek.

"Good morning," he whispered as her eyes opened.

Then she quickly sat up. "I know I'm not supposed to be in here without permission," she said quickly. "But I woke up last night, found you weren't in bed, went looking for you, and found you in here. Since you had the scrapbook, I thought you'd want company."

"Thank you," Elijah told her as he sat beside her and took her in his arms. "It's just that last night was a hard night. Which is ridiculous, I know, because it's not like Laura's my only daughter."

"She's the only one you didn't get to see grow up entirely," Selina replied. "That's why you're looking at the scrapbooks, right?"

"Yes," Elijah nodded. "Do you think I'm being silly?"

"No, I think you're being very brave," Selina told him. "Considering how you feel, you could have just stopped Laura from getting married at all. But you didn't. You let her go. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you," Elijah replied, as he held her and ran his fingers through her hair. "But no matter how brave I am, it won't get rid of the fact that I still feel empty, despite our four other children. Does that make me a bad father?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "You didn't deliver any of the others in the backseat of your car with your own two hands. That creates a different sort of bond."

"And one that I'll probably spend the rest of my life trying to refill," Elijah said. Then, he started stroking Selina's stomach. "We have two empty rooms now," he said. "So do you think we might-"

"Have more children?" Selina finished. "No, thank you. At least not right now. I've given you six and I want a break. If you want something to take care of, I'll buy you a dog."

* * *

"So what did you two think of Laura and Edward's wedding?" Lenora asked Margaret and Henry.

"Ours was better," Margaret replied. "Well, except for the cake. I liked the cake."

"I think it would have been fun to go," Lenora replied. "It would have given me something more fun to do than listen to James complain."

"My daddy is mad because Astrid let a criminal out," Henry told Margaret. "And he isn't gonna get to bring him back to jail."

At that moment, James came in, muttering angrily to himself. "Still the same problem?" Lenora asked.

"Yes," James replied. "But it's just not fair, is it? I don't know _what_ Astrid was thinking. She's lost her bleeding mind!"

"Language," Lenora told him warningly, cocking her head in Margaret and Henry's direction.

James scoffed. "He's heard everything," he said. "So what does it matter, anyway?"

"Daddy!" Susanna cried as she ran into the room and hugged him. "How the hell are you?"

"See?" Lenora said, standing up. "_That's _why it matters!"

She and James strode off with Susanna, leaving Margaret and Henry alone. "My daddy's sad about Laura being married," she told him. "Mommy wants to get him a dog!"

"Why?" Henry asked.

Margaret shrugged. "I don't know. To make him feel better? I liked being at Laura's wedding with you. It was fun."

"Well, we can do it again soon, if you want," Henry said. "Emily's birthday is coming up and she said we're both invited. You wanna come with me?"

"Okay," Margaret sighed. "As long as I get to be with you, why not?"

"And remember, since it's Emily's birthday, you have to be nice to her," Henry continued.

"All right," Margaret sighed. "I can do that too."

"Good," Henry nodded. "It's a date!"

Just then, they turned in surprise as James strode out, clutching the phone tightly in his hand, Lenora following after him. "What are you so happy about?" She asked. "Who was on the phone?"

"Your grandfather," James grinned. "And he said he might have a way for me to catch Jonathan Putnam red-handed." He kissed Lenora on the cheek. "I have to go," he said. "Don't wait dinner."


	5. A New Animal

"You have to tell him," Laura told Edward. "Otherwise he'll wonder why you're avoiding him all the time."

"But won't your father hate me?" Edward asked. "He'll hate me, I know it."

"He won't hate you," Laura replied. "He might be a little disappointed, but that won't last forever. It's not like when Gregory turned and the whole process was voluntary. With you, it happened because of an accident. It was something you couldn't control. You crashed because you didn't want to kill a deer, for fuck's sake. That ought to count for something. And if you don't tell my dad now, it'll just hang over you until you do, so go tell him. It'll make you feel better."

Edward sighed. "You're right," he said. "Let's go."

They headed over to Elijah and Selina's and Selina let them inside. "Is Elijah here?" Edward asked Selina. "I want to tell him about my accident."

"Elijah!" Selina called. "Edward's here with Laura and he wants to tell you something important."

"Yes, son?" Elijah asked when he finally appeared. "What is it that you want to say to me?"

Edward swallowed and felt Laura squeeze his hand. "I bet you're wondering why I left the wedding in my car with two groomsmen and came to the reception with Selina in her car with no groomsmen."

"Yes," Elijah nodded. "That question had crossed my mind."

"I got into an accident," Edward got out. "I swerved to avoid hitting a deer, crashed into a tree, and both my groomsmen were killed. And that also means that at the next full moon, I'm gonna be a werewolf."

Elijah's jaw dropped. He coughed a few times, and looked like he was about to faint. Then he stood up. "Edward, stay. Laura, may I see you and your mother in my office, please?"

Selina and Laura nodded. "Wasn't Edward brave to tell you what he told you?" Selina asked Elijah as they followed him to his office.

"I can't believe this!" Elijah said, sitting down at his desk. "Of all the potential werewolves to activate their genes, I never thought he would."

"Well, Daddy, it's not like he did it on purpose by going out and murdering someone," Laura tried to tell her father. "He got in an accident and sometimes shit happens."

"I thought of him as a son!" Elijah cried, not listening to the words of his wife and daughter. "Now he's completely betrayed me! We'll have to get annulment papers drawn up as soon as possible."

"What?" Laura asked. "There's no way in hell I'm signing any annulment papers!"

"Yes, you will, young lady," Elijah told her firmly. "I'm your father and you will do as I say. Besides, being among his kind is probably better for Edward anyway."

"Well, what about me?" Selina asked. "I'm a werewolf. Should I go and be among my kind too?"

"No," Elijah shook his head. "Of course not. The two of you can stay!"

"But that doesn't mean we want to," Laura replied. "If you cause any trouble about Edward, I won't come visit again until you change your mind."

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "And I'll get a room at Enid's. Then it'll just be you, the other kids, and whatever pet I decide to buy you. And I know you wouldn't like that."

"You know I dislike being spoken to like that," Elijah told Selina quietly.

"I don't care!" Selina replied. "It's something that needs to be said. Edward is a nice young man and you need to give him a break, just like you do for all of us."

"Yeah," Laura nodded. "And whatever happens, I'm gonna be with him anyway, so think about that before you make your next move."

Elijah shrugged. "Laura, you may do whatever you like, just as long as you remember what happened to your brother when he made a choice that displeased me."

"You mean when you kicked him out?" Laura asked. "Like that's gonna really affect me. Remember, I already don't live with you!"

"I'm aware of that," Elijah replied. "The change will be that you aren't allowed to come back."

"Fine," Laura replied. "I don't care. That's what you said to Gregory at first and you and Mom still invited him to Christmas. And I know I'm gonna see you once the baby is born. That's when you'll cave, and because I feel really bad for you that you can't see past having your own way, I'll be waiting for you when you come to my and Edward's apartment wanting to see your new grandchild. Goodbye, Daddy."

Elijah sighed as she strode out of the room and took Edward home with her. Then he looked at Selina. "Don't say anything," he said.

"I wasn't," Selina replied, putting up her hands. "It's not my place. But I know you'll see the light eventually without me forcing you to do it now."

She then left the office and went to the library to read a book, leaving Elijah to sulk by himself.

* * *

"So what did your father say?" Edward asked as Laura drove home.

Laura sighed. "He told me he wanted to sign anullment papers at first," she said. "Then he calmed down a little and said I could stay with you, but that I'd never be allowed to cross his threshold again."

"That's calming down?" Edward asked, eyebrow raised. "I told you we shouldn't have told him!"

"And I would have supported that if keeping it from my dad wouldn't have had the consequence of freaking you out," Laura replied. "Just be grateful Dad's not forcing us to divorce."

"All right," Edward sighed. "I don't understand, though. How could your father go from calling me 'son' one moment, finding out I'm a werewolf now, and then basically disowning me after that? Does he feel that way about you? Or your mom?"

"Of course not," Laura replied. "We get special privilege because we're family and Daddy has complete confidence that we won't misuse our powers and kill people."

"Well, I won't!" Edward cried. "Doesn't he know how hard this is for me? His anger is just making me feel worse!"

"I know," Laura replied. "That's why we'll stay away from him until the baby is born, then he'll be so desperate to see it that he'll forgive you."

"I hope you're right," Edward replied.

"I know my dad," Laura replied as they part in the apartment parking garage. "Of course I'm right."

* * *

"So," Selina said as she strolled into Elijah's office without permission. "When will you be telling Edward that you like him still in spite of his werewolf gene being active?"

"I've made it clear where I stand," Elijah replied without looking up. "And I have no intention of changing my mind any time soon. I thought that meant you were moving out."

"_Well_," Selina replied. "Maybe I was a bit hasty when I said that."

Elijah looked up with a grin. "How nice," he said. "At least you're being sensible about _one_ thing in all this mess."

"It's only a mess because you're making it one," Selina reminded him. "If you would just keep treating Edward like you did before you found out about his gene, there would be no mess at all. In the end, it's not gonna do anything for you. It'll just cost you your relationship with Laura. And I know, no matter how stubborn you are, losing her is something that'll really hurt you. So don't you think it's worth making peace with her?"

"I will do it on my own time if I decide to do so at all," Elijah said briefly. "Do not push me."

"All right, all right," Selina sighed. "It was just something I wanted you to keep in mind." She sauntered out of the room and went to make a batch of cupcakes for the bakery. Just as she was sticking them in the oven, she felt someone behind her.

"Yes?" She asked, pretty sure she knew who it was. "May I help you?"

"Turn around," Elijah whispered in her ear.

"Oh, come on!" She groaned, doing her best to ignore the tingles that shot through her body when she saw he was wearing nothing but jeans, they were unzipped, and his hair was ruffled. "Can't you go without for just one day? Or do you enjoy forcing me to give up my principles even though you won't budge on yours?"

"Do you really think you could have held off on sex until I consented to make peace with Edward?" Elijah asked.

"I could have if I knew you were actually gonna do it," Selina replied. "I mean, I don't _like_ to skip sex, but I will if there's a good reason."

"Well, lucky for you," Elijah replied, facing her forward and pulling her against his body. "There isn't any good reason for us to skip sex at the moment."

Selina shut her eyes. "Oh, Laura," she whispered. "I'm sorry. Forgive me." Then she let Elijah carry her off to their room, shut the door behind them, and take her against the wall.

"The bed," Selina moaned afterward. "Let's go to the bed!"

Elijah listened to her panting and made note of her red face. "Are you sure you can handle it?" He asked.

"Yes," Selina nodded, her eyes wide. "Just take me, please!"

Elijah took her to bed and they both undressed the rest of the way. This time, Elijah didn't waste much time with foreplay. He pushed into her again and again until they were both worn out and clutching each other, their bodies warm and sweat pouring down their faces.

"Well, that was delightful," Elijah replied as he ran his fingers through Selina's hair.

"Yeah," Selina replied, snuggling against him. "It really was."

He paused. "Are you _certain_ you can't find it in yourself to give me _at least_ one more child?"

"I'll make you a deal," Selina told him. "I'll get you that pet like I promised you, and if you bond with it, then I'll consider us having another child."

"You will?" Elijah asked. "Good! Tomorrow, we'll go to the pet store, and-"

"No," Selina shook her head. "_You_ will not go to the pet store._ I _will go to the pet store and pick out your pet. You'd probably pick one that bonded with you instantly, and that's not the point of this. The point is to show me that you still have it in you to raise a kid after so many years. Cause if we have another one, you'll have to help me with them. I'm not doing it by myself."

"Of course you wouldn't," Elijah replied. "I've helped you with all the other children haven't I?"

"Well, yes," Selina nodded. "But I just wanna have reassurance this time around, okay?"

Elijah sighed. "All right. You go find whatever little animal you can and bring them to me tomorrow, all right?"

"Fine," Selina replied. "I will."

* * *

"And just who is that?" Elijah asked as Selina strode through their front door holding tightly to a black cat with a white face and tummy. "Is that our new pet?"

"Not _'our'_," Selina corrected. "_Your_ new pet. His name is Felix."

"You won't even let me name my own pet?" Elijah asked.

"Well, apparently that was already his name at the pet store and he won't answer to anything else," Selina replied, looking down at the cat. "Come meet your new owner, Felix. This is my husband, Elijah." She tried to hand the cat over to Elijah, but Felix dug his claws into her and refused to be budged.

"Huh," Selina replied. "It looks like he doesn't like you. How interesting."

"Well, you said your goal was not to make this easy on me, and it looks like you've accomplished it," Elijah replied. Eventually, the cat let Selina go and jumped from her arms, landing on the floor before skulking off, presumably to examine his new surroundings.

"Aren't you gonna follow him?" Selina asked.

"Not at the moment," Elijah replied, shaking his head. "Something tells me he'd rather explore on his own. Thank you for choosing such an independent pet for me."

"You're welcome," Selina replied. "I bet you'll be able to tame him. It won't be easy, and it won't happen right away, but I know you'll be able to do it."

* * *

Amidst the debacle about Edward and Elijah's problems adapting to life with Felix, Selina was grateful when someone showed up to distract her from those thoughts.

"Hi, Grandma!" Joey greeted her, strolling through the door with Diana trailing behind him. "We have a question for you. You're a werewolf, right?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "What about it?" She'd heard he could go out and about now and wasn't surprised to see him.

"Well, apparently, Diana's family and my dad's have been locked in some big feud," Joey said. "And we want to know more about it, but we don't know who to ask. Do you know anyone who could help us?"

"Well, I have an uncle who could help," Selina replied. "He pretty much knows everything there is to know about werewolves. But something about a werewolf feud seems very familiar to me." She looked at Diana. "What's your name again, sweetie?"

"Diana Lucas," Diana responded.

"Lucas?" Selina blinked. "That sounds so familiar too...why can't I get it in my head?"

"Did you grow up with any Lucases?" Joey asked her.

"She couldn't have," Diana replied. "I mean, I know she's been around for a bit, but our family has lived where we live since the 1830s." Diana looked at Selina. "Wasn't that before your time?"

Suddenly, something clicked in Selina's mind. "Before your family moved to where you live now," she asked Diana, "did you live in a place called Mystic Falls?"

"Yes," Diana nodded. "I think."

Selina chuckled. "Well, let's go see my uncle Jake, then," she said. "I'm sure he'll be glad to meet you, Diana Lucas."

"She spoke your name in an ominous way," Joey whispered to Diana. "I wonder what's up with that."

Selina led the two of them to her car, driving them to a well tended but small blue house with window boxes full of flowers outside. Selina saw there was a car in the driveway and smiled. "Good," she said. "He's home. We didn't waste a trip."

They hurried toward the house with Selina knocking on the door while Selina called, "Uncle Jake? Uncle Jake, are you home?!"

Eventually, the door opened and a young man with a tanned complexion, light brown eyes, and sandy blonde hair opened the door. "Well, well, well," he grinned, eying Selina. "If it isn't the prodigal niece who never comes to visit me except for when she needs something," he teased. "What's it now?"

"This is my grandson Joey, and his friend Diana," Selina replied, introducing them. "They're a Lucas and a Talbot and want to know more about the feud."

"Oh," Jake replied, his gaze going momentarily dark. "All right. If anyone knows about that, it's me. Come in."

Jake led the three of them to the kitchen table and told them to sit down while he got the material from his storerooms to explain it to them. To their surprise, he didn't come back with much.

"Were you expecting volumes and volumes of dusty old books?" Jake asked, light in his eyes again.

"Well, yeah," Joey admitted. "Kind of."

"What do you have there?" Diana added. "It looks old, all of it."

"That's because it is," Jake replied. "They're my journals from when the damn feud started."

"You mean, you were there to see it?" Diana asked in amazement. "Cool!"

"It was _not_ 'cool'," Jake replied sharply. "I regret my involvement in it to this day."

"Why?" Selina asked.

"Because, my dear", Jake told her. "It's what got me killed."

"What?" Selina asked in amazement. "Grandpa Lockwood always made it seem like it was your own stupidity."

"Well, in a way, it was," Jake nodded. "The Lucases and the Talbots lived in Mystic Falls at the time, and Jeremiah Lucas and Andrew Talbot were my best friends. Father disliked the friendship because of how open both men were with their lycanthropy, but when I made it abundantly clear I wouldn't join in, he allowed me to keep my friendships. Then, one full moon just after I turned, Jeremiah's sister was killed by a transformed Andrew Talbot. That's what started the feud. The families went after each other after that, and even some innocent townspeople were killed too. When Jeremiah and Andrew knew they'd be caught, they framed me for the murders _they_ committed and left Mystic Falls for a more secluded area where the feud could continue without interruption.

"And after you were framed?" Selina asked. "What happened?"

"Well, the townsfolk wanted to kill my family too," Jake replied. "Just to keep everyone safe. But my father assured everyone that none of them would transform ever on pain of death, or so your mother told me."

"Do you think that's why everyone refused to talk about our being werewolves when I was growing up?" Selina asked. "And why they viewed it as such a shameful thing?"

"I would think so," Jake replied.

"I'm so sorry," Diana told him. "It was horrible what our ancestors did to you."

"Yeah," Joey replied. "Sacrificing you so they could continue some stupid feud. If you hate both of us, I'd understand."

"Well, I can't hate the Talbots, since they're family," Jake replied, looking at Joey. "And you," he looked at Diana, "seem like a much nicer young lady than Jeremiah was a man. I don't think I'll wish ill will on either of you."

"Well, thanks," Diana said in surprise. "That's really good of you."

Jake shrugged. "What can I say? I like to think of myself as a good man." He then looked at Selina more seriously. "I know you'll hate me for suggesting this," he said. "But go visit your mother, would you? She misses you and wants to see you."

Selina scoffed. "I doubt it."

"Please," Jake replied firmly. "_Visit your mother_. It doesn't have to be for a long time. Even ten minutes would do it."

"All right," Selina sighed. "Come on, kids."

They headed out the door and Joey asked, "Do you hate your mom or something, Grandma?"

"Well, let's just say that my mother and me in the same room make the Lucases and the Talbots look downright friendly," Selina replied. "You get me?"

"Yes," Joey replied, looking a little alarmed. "I definitely get you."


	6. Elijah's Mistakes

"So, how are things going with Felix?" Selina asked. "Good? Or bad?"

"He is the most annoying creature!" Elijah burst out. "He ignores me until the worst possible moment, then he decides to bug me and will not go away!"

"Oh, I'm sure you're exaggerating!" Selina replied.

"Oh, yes?" Elijah asked, eyebrow raised as he pulled her to him. "Come here!" He began kissing her, pushing her body against the kitchen table, unfastening her skirt so that it feel to her ankles along with her panties, and then he unzipped his zipper. Just as he was about to enter her, however, he let out a yell.

"Fuck!" He cried. "Just fuck that little..."

"What?" Selina asked. "What happened?" That's when she noticed the cat standing behind Elijah and that one of Elijah's pants legs was in shreds. "He scratched me!" Elijah cried irritably. "And it really, really hurt!"

"Oh, come here, sweetie," Selina said, putting her arms around her injured husband. He turned her so he was facing the cat and stuck his tongue out at the creature, who stared at him for a few seconds and then plodded away.

"Are you gonna be all right?" Selina asked as Elijah zipped up his pants and she put on her panties and skirt.

Elijah sighed. "I think I need to get out of the house," he said and kissed her. "I'll be back in a bit, so don't worry."

* * *

"What happened to your clothes, brother?" Klaus asked Elijah as the latter strolled through his front door. "You're usually so pristine. Now your clothes are torn and messy."

"It's not my fault!" Elijah cried irritably. "It's the damn cat Selina is making me raise! She says we can't have another child until I bond with that abominable monster!"

"Wait just a minute now," Klaus said, a smirk showing on his lips. "Selina wants you to do something that is clearly causing you pain and frustration and you're complying? Why?"

Elijah frowned. "I really don't know why I should have to tell you something that's not your business," he said. "All I know is, I want a baby and I know you have one."

"You can't just come in here and take my baby," Klaus replied following Elijah toward the living room. "Raise the damn cat and let Selina give you one of your own."

"What's going on?" Amy asked. She was holding Savannah, and Elijah's eyes were locked on the pair of them.

"Elijah wants our baby," Klaus told her. "Cause Selina is making him raise a troublesome cat before she'll let him have another one of his own."

"Oh," Amy replied. "How nice." She turned her attention to Elijah. "You know, Klaus and I need another babysitter for her, seeing as how her last one got in trouble. Would you like to take the position? Or would that lead to problems with Selina?"

"Oh, I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem," Elijah replied as Amy handed him his niece. "But I'll ask."

He stayed at Klaus and Amy's, bonding with Savannah until Klaus thought he was gonna have to kill him, and then he finally made his way toward the door.

"I'll have a talk with Selina about your offer," Elijah told Amy. "But like I said before, she'll probably be okay with it."

"All right," Amy said. "After you talk with her, just let me know what she said, and if the answer is 'Yes', we'll make plans."

Elijah left with a cordial goodbye, and Amy turned to Klaus. "See?" She said. "I told you your brother would be agreeable."

"He wasn't just agreeable," Klaus replied. "I think that if you and I hadn't been around, he would have just walked right out the door with her."

"Oh, you're so silly," Amy replied, giggling.

"No, I'm serious!" Klaus replied. "Were you not paying attention to how much he doted on her the entire time he was here?"

"It was no different than how you spoil her," Amy replied.

"Well, that's different," Klaus replied. "_I'm_ her father, so it's allowed. Elijah's not, so it shouldn't be."

"Was that Uncle Elijah I heard?" Lucy asked, coming down the stairs. "Did he leave already? Damn, I wish he would have stayed so I could have seen him."

"You would have had getting his attention," Klaus told her. "He only had eyes for Savannah today."

"Why?" Lucy asked.

"Cause he's having trouble coping with Laura's marriage, and it's making him want a baby," Klaus told her. "And your mother won't give him one, so he's decided to try and bring in Savannah as a substitute."

"Do you think I should try and talk to him?" Lucy asked. "Cause I will." She paused. "And whenever you want me to leave, just tell me. I don't want to feel like I've overstayed my welcome."

"Lucy," Klaus replied, coming to put his arms around her. "If there's anyone who will not wear out their welcome here, it's you. You're the child of mine that I know the least and I want to improve that. So you can stay as long as you want and get no complaints from me."

"Thanks, Daddy," Lucy grinned. "You don't think I'm being petty about this Sam thing, do you?"

"Maybe," Klaus replied. "But that doesn't mean anything. As I said, stay if you want, I don't care how long."

"All right," Lucy nodded. "I just wanted to make sure."

* * *

When Elijah returned home, a spitting, hissing Felix met him at the door. "Yes, yes," Elijah said to the cat. "Lovely to see you too."

"Hey!" Selina grinned. "How was your little outing? Feel any better?"

"Yes, actually," Elijah replied. "I do. I went to visit Niklaus and Amy, and Amy told me that she needed a new babysitter for Savannah. Apparently, something happened to their other one, but she didn't go into much detail. I told her that, pending a discussion with you, I would be willing to watch her. So what do you think?"

"I think you're being very sneaky," Selina told him. "But if Amy needs a babysitter for Savannah, and you want to do it, I'm okay with it, but please, sweetie: promise me you won't get so involved with Savannah that you forget about the four other children you have already. Cause if you do, I think it'll be a sorry situation for all of us."

"All right," Elijah nodded. "I won't let myself get carried away, I promise."

"Good," Selina replied. "Thank you."

He called Amy later that night and gave her the good news.

"Would the day after tomorrow be an okay day to start?" Amy asked him. "Will you be less likely to be busy since it's the weekend?"

"Right," Elijah nodded. "The day after tomorrow will be perfect. I'll see you and Savannah then. Goodbye, Amy. Have a good night."

"You too, Elijah," Amy answered. "And thank you so much. You're really a life saver."

* * *

While Elijah thought babysitting Savannah would be agreeable for everyone, apparently, that wasn't so. He spent every moment with the baby, to the point where Margaret began to feel neglected. She sat in her bedroom that Saturday afternoon waiting for Elijah to come to their usual tea party, but he didn't come. Finally, she got up from her chair and walked around to look for him. Eventually, she found him in the living room.

"You're missing our tea party, Daddy," she said.

"I'll come in a bit, darling," he told her without looking up. "Right now, I'm playing with Savannah. When I put her down for her nap, then we can have our tea party."

"Fine," Margaret said, her lip jutting out. She kept the table the way it was, but once Savannah had been put in her bed, Margaret went to visit her.

"You're a bad baby," Margaret whispered over the crib. "A bad, _bad _baby!" She kept on saying that sort of thing until Savannah let out a cry and what seemed to be fire shot from her eyes, burning the opposite wall, and singing Margaret's skirt. The older girl stood in shocked silence for a few minutes before bursting into tears and running for her father, who had already stationed himself in her room and was waiting for her to come for the tea party.

"My god!" Elijah cried, standing up when he saw her, skirt singed and tears running down her cheeks. She ran into his arms. "Margaret, darling, what happened?"

"The baby shot fire out of her eyeballs!" Margaret replied. "My dress got burned! It was scary!"

"It's all right," Elijah replied, holding her close. "Amy warned me something like that might happen, and that if it did, she would fix any damage that occurred when she comes to pick Savannah up."

"So she'll fix my dress?" Margaret asked.

"Yes," Elijah nodded. "Go change it, and Amy will fix it later."

"All right," Margaret nodded. She went into her closet, put on a new dress, then came back and asked Elijah to zip it up for her, which he did gladly. Then Margaret sat down to her pretend tea.

"How come taking care of Savannah is more important than being on time for our tea party?" Margaret asked her father after a few minutes of silence.

"Well," Elijah replied, "Savannah is a baby, and babies need a lot of attention, whereas you are a big girl and are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself."

"Yes I can, but it doesn't mean that I should all the time!" Margaret replied. "I'm your daughter and sometimes you have to pay attention to _me!"_

"I _am_ paying attention to you!" Elijah replied. "We're here having our tea party."

"But you were late for it!" Margaret replied. "I bet you only came because I told you."

"Now that's not true!" Elijah replied. "I planned on coming all along. I just had to take care of Savannah first."

Now, Margaret narrowed her eyes. "You could have asked Mommy to do it," she said. "Then you would have been on time." Then, she stormed out just as Selina came to her bedroom door and was about to knock on the doorframe.

"What was that about?" Selina asked Elijah as she watched their daughter leave. "Oh, wait, I bet I don't even have to ask. I warned you about this, didn't I?"

"Yes, well, Margaret has to see that people can't always cater to her whims, and I think this is a wonderful time for her to learn that lesson." Then he strode off, leaving Selina's jaw slack and an incredulous look on her face.

* * *

And Elijah's examples of A-plus parenting in the presence of Savannah didn't stop there. About an hour before Amy was to come and pick Savannah up, Annaliese called from boarding school to tell her parents about an award she'd just won.

"That's great, sweetie!" Selina told her. "I'm so proud of you! And it really seems like you've acclimated well to the school. How is your second semester going so far?"

"Great!" Annaliese replied.

"Any problems with any of your classmates or other people at school?" Selina asked, trying to glean if Peter was still an issue for her.

"Nope!" Annaliese answered. "It's all good. Can I talk to Daddy now and tell him my good news?"

"Sure," Selina nodded. "I'll go get him." She took the phone and went to Savannah's room where Elijah was playing with her and knocked on the doorframe. "Phone call for you," she said.

"I'm busy," Elijah replied. "Can it wait?"

"No," Selina replied. "I really think you should take it."

"Here," Elijah sighed. "Give me the phone."

Selina felt a surge of hope as Elijah took the phone from her, but then her heart sank as, without even saying 'Hello', Elijah said, "Call me back. I'm busy at the moment and cannot be disturbed." Then, he turned off the phone and handed it to her. "You can take it back now," he said.

"I don't believe you!" Selina cried, stomping her foot. "You didn't even know who was calling and you just hung up on them!"

"Well, whomever it was, I'm sure what they had to say can wait," Elijah replied.

"No," Selina shook her head. "It couldn't. Cause that was Annaliese, calling to tell you about an award she's won at school and how her semester is going. She really couldn't wait to hear how proud you were of her and all you did was hang up without even taking the time to spare a few words for your daughter. You should be ashamed of yourself!" Then she turned around, and stalked away, slamming the door closed and causing Savannah to cry. Elijah tried to calm her, while at the same time wondering what he was gonna tell Annaliese to excuse his behavior when he called her back to ask about her award.

* * *

That night, after Jessica had fallen asleep, Annaliese crept to the window and climbed out of it, walking to Peter's hideout and sneaking inside. She had just gotten in when she felt someone grab her. "What are you doing here?" They asked. "We don't take kindly to intruders!"

"It's me," she whispered. "Annaliese! Remember, Peter brought me here!"

Just then, a candle was lit, illuminating the faces of both Annaliese and her captor. "Well, well," he said with a smirk. "You're lucky. You wouldn't have liked to go through what intruders do when they come by here."

"Just take me to Peter," Annaliese replied coldly. "I want to see him."

The boy led her to the main room of the building where Peter held court. "Well, well," he said, standing up and grinning as Annaliese was brought in."Look who finally decided to grace us with her presence. It's been a long time."

"Yeah," Annaliese grumbled. "So long that your_ goon_ here attacked me!" She pushed the boy away and strode closer to his leader. "So what will we do tonight?" She asked. "I wanna cause a lot of trouble."

"Oh, really?" Peter grinned. "What's suddenly brought this on?"

"Well, everyone is here because their parents rejected them, right?" Annaliese asked.

"Yes," Peter nodded. "And is that what's happened to you?"

"Yeah," Annaliese nodded, trying to hold in her tears so Peter and the boys wouldn't see her cry. "I called home tonight to tell my Daddy about an awared I won, and he just...didn't even say 'Hi'. He said he was too busy and didn't want to talk to me at all! Then he hung up without saying 'goodbye'."

Peter opened his mouth and Annaliese said quickly, "I know what you're gonna say, and I can't kill him."

Peter sighed. "I'll try to think of something else, then. You can stay here, though. Your father might not care about you, but we do. If we can't get your mother, you're good enough."

"All right," Annaliese nodded. "Thank you. It's nice to know _someone_ cares."


	7. Visible Restraint

"Just a minute!," Elijah said as he saw Selina pull his things out of their room. "Where are you going with my things?"

"To the spare room," Selina replied. "Since you seem to like Savannah more than the rest of us, I didn't think it would bother you too much."

Elijah started to follow her, muttering pleas without meeting her eyes. "Oh, stop!" Selina replied. "If you expect me to come near you after how you behaved, you're sorely mistaken." She paused. "Or do you even realize that you've done something horrid? It's bad enough that it was your idea to send Annaliese to that stupid boarding school, but now you're gonna ignore her when she calls to tell about her success too? I knew that once you started watching Savannah, the rest of the children would fall by the wayside. I didn't have three single babies and a set of triplets just so you could ignore them!"

"I-I know," Elijah got out. "And I intend to call Annaliese and apologize as soon as possible."

"Good," Selina nodded. "You better."

Elijah sighed and went to sit on the bed in the spare room. To his surprise, Felix climbed up on the mattress beside him. "At least I have company," Elijah observed to the cat. "Even if it_ is _just you."

He sulked in his room for a bit, then heard knocking on his bedroom door. He perked up when Selina came in, holding the phone. "I want you to call Annaliese now," she said. "And I'm gonna sit here and watch you to make sure you do it."

Elijah took the phone from her as Felix bounded across his lap and into Selina's. She scratched him behind the ears as they both stared at Elijah while he dialed, their expressions full of judgment.

"Saydell Academy," said a voice. "Who are you calling for?"

"Annaliese Mikaelson," Elijah said immediately.

"All right," the voice replied. "I'll put you through to her room."

A few seconds later, Annaliese answered. "Hello?"

"Annaliese, it's your father," Elijah began.

"Oh, goody," Annaliese replied, her voice flat. "Look who wants to talk to me now."

"I'm calling to apologize about that," he told her. "I'm sorry. I was busy when you last called."

"So busy you couldn't talk to me?" Annaliese asked. "But I won an award!"

"I know, darling," Elijah replied. "Your mother told me. How about you tell me about it now?"

"Why did you call?" Annaliese asked suspiciously. "Cause you wanted to, or because Mommy made you?"

"Well, your mother was the one who brought me the phone, but I promise I really do want to hear what you were going to tell me before," Elijah replied.

"Mommy made you call me," Annaliese told him with certainty. "And she'll be mad at you if you don't tell me anything."

"Maybe," Elijah replied.

"All right then," Annaliese replied. "Goodbye, Daddy!" She hung up and the line went dead. "Annaliese?" Elijah asked as he pulled the phone away from his ear. "Annaliese, don't you hang up on me! Damn!" He handed Selina the phone. "She hung up on me!"

"And this surprises you?" Selina asked. "I figured she would. Her emotions are still raw."

"If you knew that, why did you have me call her now?" Elijah replied irritably.

"So you could see the effect of what you did," Selina replied. "I thought it would be good for you."

Elijah's eyes narrowed and he felt his muscles tense. "Get out," he told her. "If you just came in here to cause trouble, I want you to leave!"

"Fine," Selina replied. "Whatever. Have fun by yourself." She left, taking Felix with her. After that, Elijah threw one of his shoes at the door and punched a hole in the wall, but neither helped his anger, both at himself, and at Selina.

Eventually, the smell of brownies wafted into his room. Elijah sniffed and stood up, waiting for when Selina would come in with a plateful for him. When she didn't come after half an hour, he got up and went to the kitchen himself.

"I knew there were brownies here!" He cried. "I could smell them from my room!"

"Yes," Selina replied. "There are brownies. If you want some, cut a few out of the pan. No one is stopping you."

Elijah's jaw dropped. "You want me to get them directly out of the _pan_?" He asked, shock naked in his voice.

"Well, yeah," Selina replied. "How else did you expect to get them?"

"You bring them to me," Elijah replied. "And you even put 'I love you' in chocolate syrup next to them on the plate! I don't want this common brownie display! I want my special one!"

Selina scoffed. "I assume you know how to do that," she said. "Do it yourself, because I'm not. But don't eat too many so you're too full for dinner."

Elijah paused, a brownie halfway up to his mouth. "You're still planning to let me have dinner?"

"Well, yeah," Selina nodded. "I may be pissed off, but I'm not the guy who ran Oliver Twist's orphanage."

Elijah smirked, ate the brownie he held, filled a plate with three more, and then went back to his room with Felix following behind him. He sat down on the bed, ate the brownies, put the empty plate on the bedside table, and tucked himself in for a nap until dinner. Once his eyes were closed, he felt himself falling into a lovely dream...

_He found himself getting out of bed to wander toward his and Selina's bathroom. He sneaked into the room and amazingly, no one tried to stop him. He saw that the bathroom door was closed, the sound of splashing and Selina singing clearly audible from outside. Curious, he opened the bathroom door and was met with a squeak from the tub. Then, Selina saw it was him and relaxed, sitting back up from the bubbles. "Hey," She said. "I'm just about to get out."_

_"Oh, don't you rush," Elijah told her. "I didn't come in here because I needed to use the bath too."_

_"Oh, all right," Selina nodded. Then, she scrubbed her legs with a loofah, extending them in the air one after the other. Elijah couldn't look away. Then, she pulled the plug and and stood up, her bubble-covered body fully revealed to him. "Wanna get me a towel?" She asked._

_"What?" Elijah blinked. "What did you say? I apologize. I was distracted."_

_"Good," Selina replied, a grin curving her lips. "I guess I'm doing my job right then. I asked if you'd get me a towel."_

_"Of course," Elijah replied and grabbed one of her fluffy light pink ones from the towel holder, unfolded it, and held it out to her._

_"Thank you," she grinned and stepped into it as he wrapped it around her. When she was covered, she came and put her arms around him. "Glad to see you're not in your suit," she said, noticing his neat outfit of chinos and a green shirt. "This looks very handsome too." She put her arms around him and kissed him. He was surprised, but as she kissed his neck, he unfastened the towel and saw it fall to her feet. She pulled away from him and grinned. "Well, someone is naughty," she replied, giggling. Then, she unzipped his pants. "There," she said. "You can carry me to bed now."_

_Elijah picked her up and carried her to the bed, setting her down and climbing in after her. "You know," she said, sitting up and crawling to face him. "I forgive you about Annaliese. You said you were sorry, you meant it, and you won't do anything like that again, right?"_

_"Yes," Elijah shut his eyes as she blew in his ear. "Yes, definitely I won't." She began planting little kisses on his neck and face. Suddenly, everything shatterered as he opened his eyes and realized it was Felix licking his face and hair and that Selina was nowhere in sight._

"Damn you, you stupid animal," he groaned, patting down the part of his hair that was covered with cat slobber. "I was having such a good dream. Why did you have to go and ruin it?" Then, he heard a knock on the door. "Elijah?" Selina yelled. "Dinner is ready, if you want some."

"Thank you," he called back, leaving the room. He went to the dining room where the three children who lived at home were already seated.

Selina brought out the hamburgers and began passing around toppings. Elijah ate silently and let the others talk.

"Don't forget that Emily's birthday is coming up!" Tristan reminded his mother before he took a bite.

"I won't," Selina replied. Then she looked at Margaret. "I know Tristan is going, and that you're invited too. Do you want to go?"

"Yes, I do!" Margaret replied. "And in the car, I'm gonna sit right next to Henry."

* * *

"I have a question," Margaret asked Henry as Selina drove them and Tristan to Emily's birthday party. "When you were a baby, did you shoot fire out of your eyes?"

"No," Henry shook his head. "But my sister did! She almost burned the boat down!" He paused. "Why?"

"Cause my daddy is babysitting my cousin and one time, I was in her room and she shot fire out of her eyes, and I wondered if that was normal for witches," Margaret replied.

"Usually that happens if the baby is upset," Henry replied. "What happened before the fire?"

"I was yelling at her because she stole my daddy," Margaret replied.

"Oh," Henry nodded. "I'm sorry." He paused. "Would this be a bad time to remind you to be nice to Emily?"

Margaret sighed. "I know I have to," she said. "I promise I'll be nice."

"Good," Henry nodded. "Cause I really think you'd like her if you got to know her."

"Yeah," Tristan nodded. "She's a nice girl."

"I've never thought she wasn't nice," Margaret said. "She is, I guess."

"Don't let me forget to take the cake out of the trunk," Selina told them as they pulled up to the zoo where Emily's party was being held.

"All right," Henry replied. "Don't forget the cake, Grandma."

Selina grinned and patted him on the head before taking the cake out of the trunk. "Thank you very much, Henry." She took the cake out of the trunk and Henry carried Emily's present from him and Tristan carried his and Margaret's present. They made their way to the party building where Emily's father met them at the door and took the cake from Selina's arms. "Thank you so much for doing this," he told her. He was a man of medium height with a sun weathered face, thinning light brown hair, and dark brown eyes. "Emily's gonna love it."

"Oh, it's no problem," Selina replied. "Really. And I brought three more of the guests with me, too." Just then, Emily saw them and ran up to hug both Henry and Tristan. "Thanks for coming!" She told them. Then, she smiled at Margaret, whom she _didn't_ hug. "I'm glad you came too," she said.

"No problem," Margaret replied, trying to smile after witnessing Henry being hugged. "It was my pleasure." She snatched Emily's present away from Tristam and presented it to her. "This is for you," she said. "I picked it out myself."

"Well, thank you," Emily replied.

"There aren't very many people here," Margaret replied, looking around. Aside from her, Henry, and her brother, only three or four more kids had been invited. "Do you not have a lot of friends?"

"No," Emily shook her head. "I'm shy. My mommy used to throw me parties when I was younger. But she died. She got sick. I think I will sometimes, but Daddy says I'm being silly."

"All right," Henry said after a few minutes to break the uncomfortable mood. "Who wants to go look at animals?"

"Good idea!" Emily replied. "I'll go tell Daddy so he can come with us." She went and got her father who, after putting the cake in a safe place, took all the kids out to roam around the zoo. Fun was had by everyone, except for Margaret getting chased by a rogue peacock. Henry managed to zap it away when no one was looking, and then led her back to the group. "That thing was worse than a dragon!" She said, looking shell-shocked.

"Everything okay?" Emily's father asked.

"Yeah," Tristan told him. "Margaret was just being chased by a peacock!" Then he started to chuckle.

"Why is that funny?" Emily asked him and then went to put her hand on Margaret's shoulder. "Are you all right?" She asked.

"Yes, thank you," Margaret nodded. "I'm fine."

They looked at the animals a little while longer, then went to eat cake and open presents.

"It's a picture album," Margaret said when Emily opened her and Tristan's present. "You can put the pictures of your mommy in there."

Emily looked at her, her eyes beginning to water. "Can I hug you?" She asked, on the verge of tears. She was thankful for all her presents, but that was her favorite one. Then they ate cake, and after that, parents came to start picking kids up.

"Thanks again for coming," Emily told Margaret. "I'm glad you did."

"You're welcome," Margaret nodded. "I'm glad I came too. Happy birthday."

* * *

As Selina drove them home, Margaret asked Henry, "Did you notice how good I was?"

"Yes, I did," Henry nodded. "That was probably your best birthday present to Emily. I think she liked it too."

"So, anything interesting happen?" Selina asked.

"I almost got killed by a bird!" Margaret said.

"It wasn't gonna kill you," Henry replied. "I wouldn't have let it."

"Awww!" Margaret grinned and hugged him while Tristan rolled his eyes. "How long until we get home?" He asked his mother.

"Not very long," Selina grinned. "I promise, Tristan."

* * *

"Do you think that if we visited your father now, he'd hate me less?" Edward asked. "Now that he's had time to calm down, I mean?"

"Maybe," Laura replied, stroking Edward's back. "But I don't think we should risk it. I know he'll want to see the baby when it comes. That's when he'll miraculously find it in himself to forgive you. Until then, let's let him stew in his own juices until _he_ comes to _us_. Pushing him won't do any good."

She paused. "How are you?" She asked. "Are you okay?"

Edward sighed. "You mean, am I okay even though my first full moon as a werewolf is coming up?"

"Yes," Laura replied. "That's exactly what I meant."

"I don't think I'll ever be completely fine, but I have the process set up. Enid's got a cellar for wolves that don't want to go out and about after they turn. I'll go there and come back after everything is over. And don't you follow me," he said. "I know you want to help, but you being near me when I turn will just make me worry."

"All right," Laura nodded. "I understand. I'll wait for you in the bar, I promise."

"Good," Edward nodded. "I know you like to deal with these things head on, but I don't want to see you or the baby be hurt."

"Me either," Laura agreed. "That's why I'm staying put just this once."

"Thank you," Edward replied. "That eases my mind a little."

* * *

It was Edward who drove himself and Laura to Enid's the late afternoon of the full moon. "All right," he said once they were inside. "I'm gonna go down to the cellar. You stay up here."

"Edward?" Roxie asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard this was a safe place to turn," Edward told her. "Is that right?"

"Well, yes," Roxie nodded. "But...are you saying that you're coming to transform?"

"Yeah," Edward replied. "It's my first time this evening."

"Is it?" Roxie asked with a smile and rang a small bell by the bar. "All right, everyone!" She announced. "We got ourselves a first-time transformation here!"

The bar burst into applause and Edward stumbled over to a bar stool. "Why is everyone so happy?" He asked. "This isn't a good thing! It's not something to celebrate!"

"Are you with Laura?" Edward turned, facing two young men, one of whom was very tall and reminded him of Elijah.

"Yes, I am," he said. "You remind me of someone..."

"My brother," Laura told him, coming up beside him. "And he won't bother you." She looked at the young man next to him. "And neither will Adrian."

"We weren't gonna do any _bothering_," Gregory assured his sister. "We just wanted to talk."

"Yeah," Adrian told Laura. "That's all. We promise."

"Well, all right," Laura told her cousin/half-brother. "But I'll be watching you!" She strode back to her table and sat down, watching the pair keenly.

"I'm Gregory," Gregory introduced himself. "And this is Adrian. So, what are you gonna do tonight once you turn?"

"I was thinking of doing that in the cellar," Edward replied. "It was one big accident that made me turn and I don't want to hurt anyone."

"But there's no shame in letting yourself run free," Adrian told him. "Humans are prey. When you have hamburgers, do you feel sorry for the cow?"

"Well, no," Edward replied. "But..."

"It's the same thing with werewolves and people," Adrian said. "You're an animal. No one will blame you, if that's what you're worried about."

"No, it's not," Edward replied. "I think I'll stay in the cellar."

"Well, all right," Adrian replied. "If that's what you want."

"It is," Edward nodded. After that, the pair lost interest in him, ordered two beers, and went to drink them at a corner table.

"You know, I feel sorry for that guy," Gregory told Adrian. "My father has_ clearly _gotten to him. I admire him for being able to keep up the 'good son' act, though."

"So that guy is your replacement?" Adrian chuckled. "And I thought_ you_ were straitlaced. I don't get what your sister sees in him."

"Something, obviously," Gregory replied. "Remember, Mother said at their wedding that she was pregnant."

"Oh, how scandalous," Adrian replied. "I bet that made your dad happy."

"Just about as happy as hearing that his gene was activated, I bet," Gregory replied. "He flipped his lid when I became active. I bet he took it worse with this guy, since he wanted him to marry Laura so bad. I kind of feel sorry for the guy."

"We should take him out sometime," Adrian suggested. "Maybe get him to loosen up a little."

"What a good suggestion," Gregory replied. They toasted with their beer bottles and went to drinking them. When it was about time for the moon to rise, Enid came out. "All right, everyone! you know how the program works: those who want to go to the cellar, go and get yourselves chained up. There are plenty of bottles of wolfsbane water if you want extra restraint. And anyone who wants to go outside, knock yourselves out!"

The werewolves divided themselves accordingly, leaving Laura alone in the bar. "What should I do?" She asked Enid. "Edward told me to stay here, but I didn't realize I'd be the only inactive one around."

"You're not," Vince replied, coming to sit at her table with her. "Well, technically I _am_ active, but I'm a _made_ hybrid thanks to your uncle and that means I can turn at will. Naturally, I've always chosen not to."

Laura sighed. "I wish Edward could have that same choice," she said. "He really wasn't cut out for this. Between his first transformation and the baby we have coming, he's been under a lot of stress lately."

"I'm sorry," Vince replied. "You know, I wasn't with Roxie when she first turned, but the first night we turned together, I'll never forget that."

"Really?" Laura asked. "How old were you?"

"I can't remember," Vince shrugged. "Five or six, I think." He chuckled. "We both woke up naked in the grass and she was _horrified._" They talked on until they heard a growl coming up from the basement.

"What's that?" Laura asked, standing up. "Is that Edward?"

"It could be," Vince told her. "He's not the only one down there, though."

"I know he told me I had to stay here," she said. "But hearing that...it sounded like someone was in pain! I have to go down to see him!"

"All right," Vince sighed and ran his fingers through his dark hair. "I'll go down with you, but you have to promise you'll stay by me, all right?"

Laura nodded and the pair of them headed downstairs. The basement was full of transformed wolves, all chained and growling.

"Oh, my god!" Laura whispered. They passed by one of the chained animals, who immediately began straining and snapping at Laura.

"This one's probably Edward," Vince said, standing in front of her protectively. He then turned, just in case he had to fight the other wolf. But as Laura got closer, the wolf began to relax. Whimpering, he got down on his stomach as Laura patted his head. "I know you told me not to come down here," she whispered. "But I had to. "And besides that, I know you'd never hurt me." The wolf sneezed and put his large head in her lap. Realizing everything was gonna be okay, Vince turned back, and while Laura averted her gaze, he looked around for his clothes before dressing and heading upstairs to wait for Roxie.

Laura stayed with Edward until he turned back. "I'm so mad at you," he said, relief in his voice. "I told you to stay upstairs!"

"And I had every intention of listening to you," Laura replied, holding onto his clothes. "But aren't you glad I came down here instead?"

"You're damn lucky you didn't get hurt," Edward replied, reaching. "Give me my clothes."

"Stand up first," Laura replied with a grin. "I wanna get a good look at you."

Rolling his eyes, Edward stood up in all his glory facing Laura. "Damn, you're _hot,_" she whispered to him. She threw him his clothes, he dressed, a light flush creeping over his cheeks, and then he and Laura said goodbye to Enid, and left the bar to go home to bed.


	8. Underneath Your Clothes

"Sorry I had to leave you alone last night," Diana told Joey. "With the full moon and all, I had stuff to do."

"I understand," Joey replied. Just then, Diana's father came up to him. "We didn't see you with us last night," he said. "Where did you run off to?"

"He stayed by the tent," Diana told her father. "He's-he's not active yet."

Her father let out a loud guffaw. "Seriously?" He asked. "You're what, sixteen, and you haven't even turned yet?"

"No, sir," Joey replied. "I didn't think it was necessary."

Diana's father's eyes widened. "Not necessary?" He asked. "You're a werewolf, boy! What did you think you were supposed to do with your life?"

"Don't be too hard on him, Daddy," Diana replied. "He probably has his reasons for not wanting to turn."

"Whatever you say," her father replied and left.

"Wow," Diana told Joey. "That went better than I expected."

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful," Joey told her. "But I kind of wish I was back with Uncle Jake."

"You know, I kind of do too," Diana told him. "When do you want to leave?"

Joey's eyes widened. "You mean we can actually go? Won't that upset your dad?"

Diana shrugged. "he doesn't pay attention to me, except for when he feels like I've done something wrong. We won't be missed, I swear. Now let's go get our stuff."

"All right," Joey replied. He seemed all right with it, but just to make sure, Diana led him to her father.

"Daddy!" She cried.

"What?" He asked. But he wasn't looking at them and Joey could tell he was only half listening. "Joey and me are gonna take the car and go visit someone for a bit, okay?"

He nodded his head and Diana grabbed Joey's hand, practically dragging him to a car. She grabbed the key that was attached to the door handle with a piece of leater cord, and after they were both settled in the car, they drove off.

"Do you even _remember_ the way to Uncle Jake's?" Joey asked Diana.

"Of course I do," Diana reassured him. "I have a marvelous sense of direction."

To Joey's surprise, she wasn't lying and soon they were parked in front of Jake's house. Diana jimmied the lock and they got inside.

"Uncle Jake!" Joey called. "Uncle Jake, are you home?!" There was no answer, so they had to start looking around for him. It took awhile, but finally, they found a door with noise issuing from behind it. Diana pulled it open and a woman let out a shriek.

"For god's sake!" Jake cried, covering up the woman who was in bed with him. "Don't you kids know how to knock?"

"Sorry," Joey replied. "We just wondered where you were."

"Is your mother with you?" Jake asked him. "Or your grandmother?"

"No, we're here by ourselves," Joey replied. "We wanted to talk to you."

Jake sighed. "All right," he said. "Just a minute. Avert your eyes." They did and he got out of bed to go put clothes on in the bathroom.

"So, who are you two?" Asked his date, pale woman with curly dark hair.

"His mom is related to Jake," Diana told her.

"Really?" The woman asked. "I'm Sherry. I've never met any of his family before."

Jake came out a few minutes later and looked at Sherry apologetically. "Would you mind if we continued this later?"

"Since it's a family matter, no problem," Sherry replied. "I understand." Jake took the pair to the kitchen while she dressed.

"So, is that a werewolf woman?" Diana asked. "Or is she human or what?"

"She's certainly not a werewolf," Jake shuddered. "I gave up on them a long time ago. A little too crazy for me."

"That's what my dad says about my mom," Diana replied. "And since she tried to kill me when I was a baby, I don't really blame him."

"Why would your mom try to kill you?" Joey asked.

"Cause she feared my bond with my father," Diana replied. "But you're a guy, so you wouldn't understand. It only happens with girls."

"But I have a sister and Mom never tried to kill her either," Joey answered.

"Well, then I guess you're just insanely lucky," Diana replied. She pulled some chewing gum out of her pocket and stuck it in her mouth.

"She's human," Jake said. "The first decent date I've had in awhile," Jake replied. "But enough about me. What do you two want?"

"We wondered if we could live with you," Diana blurted out. "Someone is after Joey, and my Dad's not too keen to have him around, so I figure here is as good a place as any to hide out."

"Who's after you?" Jake asked Joey.

"Well, I _thought_ Enid's sister Hazel was," Joey replied. "She saw me one time and tried to kill me, probably because Aunt Enid brought me back from the dead when I was a baby. But nothing's happened in awhile, so maybe she's lost interest."

"Hazel?" Jake asked. "Lost interest in you? I wouldn't bet on it. She probably is coming up with a more subtle way to catch you. You're right. Stay here. I think that would be best."

"But what about your lady friend?" Diana asked. "Aren't you worried we'll be a disturbance?"

"Well, do you _plan_ to be?" Jake asked.

"No," Diana replied quickly. "I was just wondering."

"All right, good," Jake replied. "Get your things and unpack. As far as we know, you're gonna be here awhile."

* * *

"You made it through your first werewolf transformation," Laura told Edward. "I'm so proud of you!"

"I still can't believe you came down to the basement after I specifically told you not to," Edward scolded, brushing off her praise. "You could have been hurt!"

"Well, did you notice that I didn't come down alone?" Laura replied. "_That _would have gotten me hurt. I came down with Vince and he protected me!"

"Well, what if Vince hadn't been there?" Edward asked. "Would you still have come down? You probably would have!"

Suddenly, Laura burst into tears. "Why are you yelling at me?" She sobbed. "I just wanted to help!"

Edward sighed and put his arms around her. "I know you did," he said. "And I'm very grateful that I have such a caring wife. But the thought of you and the baby being hurt scares me to death. Can you understand that?"

Laura nodded. "I can, I guess," she sniffled.

"Now, are you feeling all right?" He asked her. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, I think I'll just sleep," Laura told him. "I'm tired."

"All right," Edward nodded and ruffled her hair. "Sweet dreams, Laura."

* * *

"I'm_ hungry_," Laura said as she plodded into the kitchen a few hours later.

"All right," Edward replied. "Can I make you something? And don't forget to do your homework for school tomorrow."

"Or I could feed myself and _you_ could do my homework," Laura suggested. "That sounds fair."

Edward sighed. "You know how I feel about that sort of thing," he said. "However, since I _am_ partly responsible for what's going on with you, I guess it would not hurt me _one time_ to at least do your math homework."

"Well, thank you!" Laura replied in surprise. "I honestly didn't think that would work."

"Maybe being a werewolf has opened up a crazy part of myself that I was previously unaware of," Edward replied.

"So you're seriously gonna do my math homework?" Laura asked as she rooted around in the refrigerator.

"Yes," Edward replied. "I'm seriously going to do your math homework.

"Well, remember not to put all the right answers, even if you know them," Laura reminded him. "If you do, it'll be a definite give away that someone other than me did it."

"You're carrying a child," Edward told her. "I think that deserves an 'A', don't you?"

Laura's jaw dropped further. "Not that I'm not grateful for the help, but who are you, and what have you done with Edward?"

He chuckled. "Just don't tell anybody."

"All right," Laura nodded. "I won't. I swear."

* * *

The next day at school, their social studies teacher brought out a carton of eggs. "All right, everyone," she said. "We're about to start a project where everyone pairs up and pretends to be parents to an egg for two weeks. It will show you the joys and tribulations of being parents. Now, I'm gonna pair you up-yes, Edward?"

"Can Laura and I be a pair?" He asked. "Since we're already married and all?"

"Sure," their teacher nodded. "Why not?" She then paired up the rest of the class and handed them their eggs. "Remember, this egg is going to be like your child," the teacher reminded them. "You'll have to watch it every second of the day."

"Why is that, Miss Pritchard?" One of the girls asked. "I have a life, you know. It's not fair!"

A smattering of agreement met this statement.

"Well, no one said parenting is easy," Miss Pritchard replied with a twinkle in her eye. "It takes a lot of hard work and if you want to get a good grade on this project, Miss Andrews, I expect a lot from you."

While the rest of the class grumbled, Laura smiled at Edward. "Well, isn't this timely?"

"Yes," Edward nodded. "It'll be good practice. What do you think we should name it?"

"You wanna name it?" Laura asked in surprise. "It's an egg!"

"No, it's not," Edward corrected. "It's our baby. So, we have to give it a name."

"I don't know," Laura shrugged. "You pick."

"Charles," Edward said immediately. "After my grandfather, the only decent member of my family."

"All right," Laura nodded. Then, she got a marker out of her purse and drew eyes, a nose, and a smile on him. "There," she said. "Now that he has a face, he at least looks more like a person." She peered at 'him'. "Welcome to the family, baby Charles."

* * *

"Well, hello there!" Elijah told Selina, striding into the kitchen in his jeans. Selina looked up at him briefly and then went back to scrubbing the dishes. "What do you want?"

"Nothing," Elijah replied, pulling her to him. "I just want to...chat."

"What are you doing?" Selina asked. "You know I'm mad at you right now!"

"Oh, I'm very aware," Elijah replied. "But don't think I haven't noticed how you've been dressing. Wearing those tight sweaters and tiny skirts on purpose just to get me worked up, even though you have no intention of helping the situation."

"I'm not gonna change the way I dress just to make you less uncomfortable," Selina replied. "And if you thought I would, you're an idiot."

He took her hand and ran it over his bare chest. He smirked as he heard her heartbeat quicken.

"Don't." She began.

"Don't what?" He asked and spun her around.

"Don't do this," Selina replied. "I know what you're doing and it's not fair. You can't just sex your way out of things after doing something wrong."

"Am I doing that?" Elijah asked, shock on his face. "Shame on me! I'm a naughty boy!" He kissed her. "What do you say you come into my office and give me a spanking?"

Selina wiped his kiss off her mouth. "I don't want to spank you," she said. "I want to throttle you with all my might!"

He pulled her closer, his hand cupping her bottom. "Good luck trying," he told her, his breath on her lips. Then he kissed her once more before striding away.

Selina watched him go with narrowed eyes. She was breathing hard and trying to slow it. She shook her head and turned back to the dishes, finishing the last of them and putting it away.

"What does _he_ know?" She muttered. "I'm capable of avoiding him if I want to. I have self control." Grinning to herself, she then went back to her room and dressed in one of her Miss Stinson outfits, poured herself a glass of wine, and sat down on the sofa giggling to herself. She figured that Elijah was probably waiting for her. But he'd wait forever cause she wasn't gonna come.

* * *

A few days later, it was Colin's sixteenth birthday. "Don't forget we have to go take my driver's test after school so I can get my license, Mom." He finished his birthday pancakes and put the plate in the sink.

"I know, sweetie," Selina told him. "Don't worry. I'll be around to take you. And I assume you'll want to go out tonight too and have your cake tomorrow?"

"Yes," Colin nodded. "Me and Valerie are gonna meet up with some people, so that would be a good plan." He paused. "Are you upset?"

"No!" Selina shook her head. "It's your birthday. You do whatever you want."

"All right," he nodded and kissed her cheek. "Thank you." Just then, they heard a honk outside. "That'll be Valerie," he said. "She said she'd drive me today, so you don't need to."

"All right," Selina nodded. "Happy birthday, sweetie. Have a good day."

He left, leaving Tristan and Margaret as the only ones home. "All right, you two," Selina said. "Go get dressed. We're gonna leave in a little bit."

Margaret and Tristan bolted up the stairs, and Selina cleaned up the table. "I'm gonna go to my office now," Elijah told her. "If you care, that is."

"Don't wait up for me," Selina replied. "I'm busy. And I'm gonna go to the bakery after I drop Tristan, Henry, and Margaret off at school, so you'll be by yourself until tonight."

Elijah growled and stalked off as Selina finished washing the dishes, then she heard the ring of the doorbell that signaled Henry's arrival. That made her run to the foot of the stairs and call up to her two children. "Henry's here! Let's go!"

Soon after that, both Tristan and Margaret appeared, crowding each other down the stairs. "Careful," Selina warned them. "I don't want either of you to fall and get hurt."

They both slowed down after that, and Selina went to open the door to let Henry in. "Morning, Grandma," he said to her. This greeting caused both of Selina's children to eye him strangely, even though they'd heard him say the same thing ever since he started going to school with them. When it was time for them to go, Margaret was the only one who called 'goodbye' to her father. even though she figured that he probably wouldn't hear her.

* * *

"You look like you've had a tough morning," one of Selina's workers, Alicia, told her as she came in and hung up her coat.

"Is it that obvious?" Selina groaned. "My husband and I are sort of not talking right now. Well, actually, I'm the one who's keeping the argument going. He wants to make up." She went into the kitchen and began cracking eggs into a bowl.

"So why don't you?" Alicia asked, pulling back her long blonde hair.

"Because I don't want him to win!" Selina replied. "If I end the fight, if I give in, then he wins, and I hate that! He started this when he ignored our daughter who was calling from boarding school and I am _not_ gonna reward him for that by backing down first!"

"If you love him, though, and he loves you," Alicia replied, "why does it matter who ends the fight first as long as someone does?"

Selina sighed. "I guess you're right," she said. "And it's usually me who ends the fights anyway, so this won't be any different."

"Well, there you go," Alicia told her. "It's something to think about, anyway."

Selina spent the rest of the day working the cash register and watching as an unusually high number of affectionate couples came in and out of the bakery.

Finally, as she stood with her elbow balanced on the counter and her head in her hand, something perked the day up.

"Hello," Elijah said. "Could I have a coffee and a cupcake, please?"

"Sure!" She said, bolting up and reaching in the bakery case. "Vanilla? Or chocolate?"

Elijah shrugged. "You pick. I don't care."

Selina nodded and got a chocolate cupcake and a white cupcake out of the bakery case and took them to the table. Then, Elijah took a ten dollar bill out of his pocket. "Here," he said. "And keep the change. I don't, however, need two cupcakes."

"I know," Selina replied. "The other one is for me. I'm gonna come and join you after I get your coffee." She grinned and put the ten in her pocket, then went to make his coffee and bring it back to him. "So," she said. "What have you been doing with yourself all day?"

"Nothing," Elijah sighed. "Just puttering around. Father called, but I didn't answer it."

"Well, good!" Selina replied. "You'll probably have to face his vengeance later, but good!"

"And I went to visit Gregory. He, Katerina, and Elizabeth seem to be doing well." Elijah peeled the paper off the cup cake and took a small bite. "He says he'll come by whenever we're actually celebrating Colin's birthday. We just have to tell him when it is."

"Well, I'll be sure to do that," Selina replied. "And thanks for stopping by. It seems like every couple in town has gravitated toward here today and I was starting to get bummed."

"You're welcome," Elijah replied. Then, to her surprise, he leaned forward and gave her a brief peck on the lips.

"Well," she grinned. "Thank you. And-and I'm sorry for the childish way I've been behaving lately. I was mad for what you did to Annaliese, but prolonging it doesn't really get us anywhere. It certainly doesn't make_ me_ feel better."

"It's the same for me," Elijah replied, watching with a grin on his face as she ate her cupcake, and not in the most ladylike manner, either. "It probably wouldn't hurt you to take smaller bites," he said, picking up a napkin and wiping the crumbs and frosting off her face.

"I don't care about being ladylike," Selina told Elijah. "I put up with hearing about that from my mother, but I'm done with it now."

"I wasn't concerned about you being ladylike," Elijah replied. "Clearly, that would be useless. I just don't want you to choke."

"Oh," Selina nodded as she swallowed. "Sorry."

After Elijah finished his cupcake, he gave her one more kiss listened to her reminder about picking up the kids from school because she would be with Colin, and headed out. Selina felt warmth flowing through her entire body and attacked the rest of the day with renewed vigor, and felt she'd done a full day's work when she closed up shop around four to take Colin to his driver's test.

"Are you nervous?" She asked him.

"No," Colin shook his head. "I'm ready. And I also think I'm gonna ask Valerie out tonight and see what she says."

"Good choice," Selina nodded. "Good luck, and I hope she says 'Yes'."

Much to Selina's pleasure, Colin passed his test with flying colors, and she even let him drive home.

"How did it go?" Elijah asked as they came through the door. "By the smile on your face, Colin, I'm guessing it went well?"

"Yep!" Colin nodded, whipping his placeholder license out of his wallet. "This is just the first one, to show that I passed," he said. "I get my real license in two weeks."

"Wonderful!" Elijah replied, and to his son's surprise, gave Colin a hug. "So," he said after he let go. "I assume you want to put that license of yours to good use and go out with your friends?"

"Yes," Colin nodded. "I do." Just then, there was a knock at the door. Colin went to open it and there was Valerie. "So, did you get your license?" She asked.

"I did," Colin nodded. "What do you say we go celebrate my accomplishment?"

"Sure!" Valerie nodded. "I guess my homework can wait." She pushed her dark hair out of her brown eyes, cast a look at Elijah and Selina, and after a quick "Hello, Mr. Mikaelson and Mrs. Mikaelson," she followed Colin out the door.

"A nice girl that Valerie," Elijah observed. "I think I might mention to Colin that he should ask her out."

"He's way ahead of you," Selina replied. "He told me he was gonna do it tonight. I hope she says 'Yes'."

Elijah nodded. "Me too."

All the kids had something to do that night so Selina and Elijah were left by themselves. They had a quiet dinner for two, and then Elijah went to neaten up the bedroom while Selina did the dishes. She'd changed out of her work clothes into a more comfortable outfit of a light pink t-shirt under a navy blue zip up hooded jacket (which she wore without a bra), her hair pulled back from her face, bare feet, and her most worn pair of jeans, which had a hole in the left knee. She sang "I Feel Pretty" as she scrubbed them, and when they were all dry, she turned on the radio to a pop channel. She finished drying the dishes just as Elijah came up behind her and put his hands around her waist. "The room is ready when you are," he whispered right next to her ear.

"Is it?" She asked with a grin, rubbing against him. "Good to know. And you should know I'm not wearing a bra to save time."

"Interesting," Elijah replied, one of his hands slipping under her shirt to check. "You're right."

"I just figured that I'm not at work and no one is home but you and me, so why should I subject my breasts to boob jail if I don't have to?" She grinned, feeling Elijah's hands move down her body, unbutton and unzip her jeans.

"Just a minute," she said, leading him by his tie. "I have an idea. Let's go to our room." He let her to the bedroom and lock the door, then she slipped a CD into her player, turning it on. A mellow song flowed into the room, and Selina slowly began to remove her clothes. "Underneath your clothes, there's an endless story. There's the man I chose, there's my territory, and all the things I deserve for being such a good girl, honey..."

"What in the world is this song?" Elijah found it in himself to ask as she stripped.

"Shakira," she replied, pulling her hair out of the ponytail and shaking it around. "It's called 'Underneath Your Clothes'."

"It would be," Elijah replied as he began stripping himself.

"Don't make fun," Selina replied, coming to help him. "I always thought it fit us." After he was undressed, he pulled her to him, kissing her soundly, his hands firmly on her waist as they swayed to the music. Then, they went up her sides and over her breasts. He then picked her up and took her to the bed, tickling her just so he could hear her laugh.

"Okay, okay!" She cried, trying to get her breath from laughing. "Enough of that already! I can't breathe!"

"All right," Elijah replied with a grin and kissed her. "Sorry."

"Yeah," Selina nodded, reaching up to ruffle his hair more. "Sure you are." But she was smiling and kissed him back. Then she looked up into his eyes. "I love you, Elijah," she whispered. "And I really hate it when we fight."

"I know," Elijah nodded. "Me too. I didn't mean for what happened to get so out of hand. And I really _do_ love our kids. I promise."

"I know you do," Selina nodded. "And I also understand why what happened happened. I know that letting Laura go is hard for you. I'd have to be an idiot not to see it. But just remember that even though she's gone, she and Edward have a little one coming, and if you play your cards right, some time, in the future, we could have another one of our own. Who knows? But personally, I think we should just stick with sex for now."

"You know what?" Elijah replied, slowly sliding into her as he held her close and she let out a moan of pleasure. "I completely agree."


	9. A Whole Lot Of Awkward

Selina was sitting on the sofa with her legs across Elijah's lap when the doorbell rang.

"Just a minute," Selina called, carefully moving her legs and going to answer the door. She opened it to find Gregory and Elizabeth on the other side. "Hi there, you!" She said. "What brings you here?"

"I just wanted to see if you two were all right," Gregory replied.

"I might have mentioned our difficulties to him," Elijah told Selina.

"Oh," Selina nodded. "Well, we're better now. We made up. So how are things with you and...your wife?" She asked as she took Elizabeth from him and brought her to Elijah. "Here is a baby you may play with," she told him.

"Things with Katherine and me are all right," he said. "I actually found a donor to fund the shelter, so we're expanding."

"Well, that's delightful," Selina replied.

All of a sudden, Felix came padding into the room. "Who's that?" Gregory asked.

"Your father's cat," Selina told him. "He wants to have another kid cause he misses Laura, but Felix is where we're starting."

Gregory's jaw dropped a little. "You're having another kid? Isn't six kids, including a set of triplets, enough?"

"Not once you've all grown and gone," Elijah told him. "Then the house will be empty." He looked sad, even as he held Elizabeth.

"You know, Father," Gregory cleared his throat. "If you need something to distract you from your thoughts, you could always come and spend time with Adrian and me. We have fun."

Elijah scoffed. "If your fun with Adrian is anything like the ridiculous stuff Niklaus and I used to do, I think I'll pass. But thank you. And I'm glad you're bonding with your cousin."

"Cousin/brother," Selina corrected.

Elijah sighed. "I knew that," he told her. "It was implied.

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "Sure it was."

Elijah just sighed and began walking around the room with Elizabeth, who seemed content to just stay snuggled against him.

"So, why a cat?" Gregory asked his mother. "Any special reason?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "I just went to the store to look for an animal, and Felix stood out more than any of the others, so I bought him. Apparently, he's been there awhile cause everyone was passing him by. I don't get that. He seems nice enough."

"Are you certain you're talking about the same Felix that lives in this house?" Elijah asked her. "Because I don't think you are."

"Well, he's nice to _me_," Selina replied. "I can say that much and have it be true."

"How's Katerina?" Elijah asked Gregory. "Why didn't she come with you?"

"Well, she still feels a little awkward coming over here," Gregory confessed.

"Is it because of me?" Selina asked. "Cause I really _have_ been working harder on being nicer to her even though she's responsible for a lot of the tragedy in my life."

"And I'm grateful for that," Gregory replied. "And to the two of you for supporting my relationship with her in the first place, even though it's probably not an ideal situation for either of you."

"You're welcome," Selina replied while Elijah said nothing.

"Did you handle the last full moon all right?" Selina asked

"Yeah," Gregory nodded. "Adrian and I went over to Enid's with everyone else and that's how I made it through the night."

"Did you chain yourself up?" Elijah asked.

"No," Gregory shook his head. "I didn't. I went out with several other people."

Elijah sighed and Selina gave him a look. "Whatever works for you," she told Gregory.

He looked back and forth between his parents and then stood up. "You know what?" He asked. "I have to go to the bathroom. I'll be back in a few minutes."

He left and then Selina removed Elizabeth from Elijah's lap before punching Elijah on the shoulder.

"What was that about?" Elijah asked her.

"What's your problem?" Selina asked him. "First, you chew Edward out for a werewolf transformation that was not his fault, and now I see you're _still_ doing it to Gregory! What's going on?"

"You know I don't like it," Elijah told her. "Remember, I told you what werewolves did to my younger brother."

"Yeah, I know," Selina nodded. "But it wasn't Edward, Gregory, or anyone else in our family who killed him. You don't have to like the fact that they turned, but since they're family, you could at least drop the attitude, you know? If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all, and let Gregory and Edward live their lives as they see fit! How many times do we have to go over this?"

Elijah nodded. "You're right, okay? I'm sorry."

Selina shook her head. "Don't apologize to _me_! Apologize to Gregory and Edward!"

But he didn't want to do that, at least not while Selina was looking. Instead, he just picked up Elizabeth, and when Gregory got back from the bathroom with Felix following behind him, changed the subject to something less volatile.

* * *

"What's the matter with you?" Laura asked, coming into the kitchen at two in the morning to find Edward sitting up with their egg. "Come back to bed."

"I can't," Edward replied. "This is the only way to stop the nightmares!"

"What nightmares?" Laura asked. "Don't tell me the egg baby is giving you nightmares! Remember, it's not a person. This is just pretend."

"I had the most horrible dream that we had a whole carton worth of egg babies, then they got abducted and the kidnappers started sending us muffins in the mail!" Edward looked traumatized and stroked the egg. "So many muffins."

"I think you need to have a glass of warm milk and go to bed," Laura told him, gently taking the egg away. "That's what_ I _came down here for."

"Oh, no, darling," Edward told her. "Don't bother. You don't have to do anything for me."

"Well, if you're dreaming that eggs are being abducted and turned into muffins then clearly I do," Laura replied, plunking the glass of warm milk down in front of him. "Now, I demand you drink up, put the egg down, and go back to bed!"

"All right," Edward sighed and drank his milk, then let Laura lead him back to their room. "If you say so."

"I don't just say so," Laura replied. "I insist."

* * *

"You look tired," Addie told Laura as she brought a drink order in. "Do you want me to take your table for you?"

"Thanks, but no," Laura replied, yawning. "I'm good. Edward was just up all night last night with the stupid egg baby we have to do for school."

"Just tell the teacher you're expecting a real one and I'm sure she'll let you off," Addie replied. "Maybe she'll even give you an 'A' without you even having to do anything."

Laura scoffed. "She'd probably just make us work harder," she said. "And Edward's making himself sick over it already. His nightmare was that we had lots of egg babies and someone abducted them, turned them into muffins, and sent him the muffins in the mail. I know it sounds silly, but he looked terrified."

"He would," Addison nodded. "He's a jittery guy."

"But a cute one," Laura grinned fondly.

"Maybe," Addie replied and peered at a table where two dark haired guys sat talking to each other. "But I prefer guys like them. Leather and everything." She grinned. "Lucky for me they're at my table. Second day on the job and I get guys like that." She sashayed toward the table and leaned over it seductively while she took the pair's order.

"What's going on?" Roxie asked as she came out. "Addie hitting on customers already?"

"Yeah," Laura nodded, pointing. "She's got her eye on that pair of guys over there."

Roxie noticed them and began laughing. "That's_ not_ gonna happen," she said.

"Why?" Laura asked. "What's wrong with them?"

"Nothing," Roxie replied. "Except that one is her half-brother and the other is dating my sister. Meet Damon Salvatore and his son, Sam. Damon was Mom's first love back when she was a human, and my pregnancy scare with Vince Damon and Mom to have sex again after he took some of Enid's potion. Sam came along after that."

"Wow!" Laura said, eyes wide. "It'll piss Addie off to find that out." Just then, Addie came back, handing Sam and Damon's drink order to her mother. "I got a number from them too!" Addie said. "My work is done for the day."

"If you go out with Sam, no sex!" Roxie told her daughter.

"Why not?" Addie whined. "Come on, Mom. Don't be such a prude!"

"Sam's my half brother, which would make him some sort of uncle to you or something," Roxie told her. "That's why you can't be having sex with him."

"Well, that's just not fair," Addie replied.

"Don't blame me," Roxie replied. "Blame the fact that my mom is ripe as a mango and not afraid to be fruitful and multiply."

"Oh, well," Addie sighed after a moment. "I guess I'll go out with him anyway, even if there can't be sex involved. And even though I _could_ go after Damon, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to upset Aunt Lucy, would it?"

"No," Roxie shook her head. "Don't start trouble where there doesn't need to be any. As much as I like to see my sister act out, I don't want it to be on my daughter, especially since your brother's gone off on his own."

"He called me," Addie replied. "Told me he and his friend Diana had gone to stay with Uncle Jake, who apparently has a girlfriend now."

"Uncle Jake has a _girlfriend_?" Roxie replied in amazement. "Good for him. I never would have thought!"

"I know," Addie nodded. "Especially since Joey and Diana walked in on them on accident and that's how they found out."

"So your brother is with Uncle Jake now," Roxie said. "I hope he'll be all right and that it wasn't a stupid choice for him to make."

"Well, I guess we'll know in a bit, won't we?" Addie asked. "If we get a message from him saying that Hazel is trying to kill him again, then it means it's a stupid choice."

"You're not helping," Roxie told her.

"So Joey's okay for the moment?" Laura asked. "Good. I was worried too."

"Well, thanks," Roxie replied.

"You're welcome," Laura said and went to take an order from a table of hers that had just filled up.

Meanwhile, Sam stared at the number that he held in his fist. "Pretty girl, don't you think, Dad?" He asked Damon.

"Yeah," Damon nodded. "But I'd be careful if I were you."

Sam chuckled. "Do you honestly think I'll let myself get hurt? Or that any woman can hurt me at all?"

"No," Damon shook his head. "But think about this job you have to do, following Joey to make sure you get out of him what Hazel wants. Do you really think she'll want you being distracted from that by following a girl?"

"Oh, I don't know," Sam replied. "But with all I'm doing for her, the least she could do is let me have a little fun."

A few minutes later, Roxie came to the table with their drinks. "You aren't the one who took our order," Sam told her.

"Yes, well, the one who took your order is my daughter," she told him. "And based on certain things. I don't want her to get more ideas about you in her head than she already has." She set the drinks down in front of them and then gave Damon a smile. "Hey," she told him. "It's been too long. You should come and visit me some time. I've missed you." She patted him on the shoulder and walked away.

"Good job, Dad!" Sam said. "I got the daughter's number and you scored with her mom. Did the two of you used to go out or something? And what did she mean by 'based on certain things, I don't want her to get more ideas about you than she already has'?"

"Okay, you know your mom?" Damon asked.

"Yes," Sam nodded. "Of course."

"Well, that girl whose number you got is your mom's granddaughter by another marriage," Damon replied. "Sorry to break it to you."

"No!" Sam shook his head, his eyes closed tight. "Not fair! She's so hot! But hey, you still have a chance with her mom, right?"

"No," Damon sighed. "I raised her mom at one point. I've seen things about her mom that would make us dating very awkward. And don't forget that I'm already with Lucy."

"Oh, I haven't forgotten," Sam replied. "But it's not like you're married, or anything. What's the harm in trying out other options?"

"Nice try," Damon told him. "But it's not gonna happen. And you should have better things to do than bitch about my love life."

Sam sighed. He just couldn't catch a break today.

Just then, Addie came over again. "I heard from my mom that we can't actually date, but...you still wanna have a friendly dinner sometime?"

"Sure," Sam grinned. "I promise it won't be _too_ friendly, though."

"Great!" Addie replied. "What about tomorrow night? Are you free?"

"Sure," Sam nodded. "Tomorrow night sounds great."

"All right," Addie replied. "See you then!"


	10. I Feel Pretty

"Now, what's going on, Sam?" Stefan asked him. "Why'd you call Felicity and me here?"

"I want you both to meet a friend of mine is all," Sam replied.

"And by 'friend' you mean conquest, right?" Felicity asked. "What's the point in introducing us to someone you're just gonna dump once you've gone to bed with her?"

"I can't go to bed with her," Sam replied. "Apparently, she's related to me and it's not allowed."

"What's her name?" Felicity asked. "I probably know her."

"Addison," Sam replied.

"Yep," Felicity nodded. "I do know her. We used to hang out together at the bar a lot."

"Well, that's good," Sam replied. "It means I won't have to do a lot of introductions."

"And why is it that you want to bring her here?" Stefan asked, gesturing around the boarding house. "I thought you were staying with your dad."

"I thought it would be less intrusive to hang out here," Sam replied. "Unless the two of you wanted to stay in and, you know, have sex or something."

"We can do that anywhere," Felicity replied. "If you wanna have Addie here, it's fine."

"All right," Sam nodded. "I'll bring her here tonight."

"Great," Stefan replied. "Can't wait!"

* * *

"So this is where you live?" Addie asked as Sam brought her into the boarding house.

"Yeah," Sam replied. "Sorry if it's a bit messy. My dad is the one that cleans everything up, but he's not here."

"That's okay," Addie assured him. "I like a place with a 'lived in' look."

"Good," Sam nodded. "Great. And I promise I won't show you my bedroom."

"What?" Addie asked. "I wasn't even worried about that."

"Good!" Sam replied, feeling like an idiot. "Cause you shouldn't need to be."

Just then, Felicity and Stefan approached them. "Hi," Stefan replied. "I'm Sam's uncle. You must be Addison."

"Yeah," she nodded, taking it. "But you can call me Addie." Then she smiled at Felicity. "It's nice to see you again, Lissy. You need to come back to the bar sometime. We've missed you."

"You know, I really _should_ do that," Felicity replied. "Anything interesting going on there?"

"Well, Grandpa and Amy won the karaoke contest," Addie replied. "Laura's pregnant, if you didn't hear, and Enid is acting weird, you know? Like a school girl who has a crush. I asked her what was going on and she just kind of blushed and said that a friend of hers she hardly ever gets to see is coming to visit."

"Huh," Felicity replied. "Enid with a date. I didn't even know she did that!"

"Well, apparently she does, with someone," Addie shrugged. "Now I really wanna know who!"

"Oh, just be patient," Felicity told her. "She's your 'aunt', and she tells you everything!"

"You're right," Addie nodded. "If I just wait, I'll find out who she's prettying herself up for, no doubt." Then, she sighed and looked over at Sam. "All right," she said. "Enough of that. What's in the cards now?"

"Dinner!" Stefan replied. "I've already made something up."

"All right," Sam nodded, gesturing for Addie to go ahead of him. "Let's eat."

But dinner was slow and awkward without a lot of conversation. Finally, Addie led Sam away from the table.

"You know," she said, "if you wanted to show me your room, I really wouldn't mind."

"No, I-I really don't think that's a good idea," Sam told her.

"Why not?" Addie asked. "Cause I'm not gonna get mad at you or anything."

"But see, the thing is that I'm attracted to you," Sam blurted out. "And you know what our parents told us: that we can't act on our feelings because of being related."

"Who says anything's gonna happen?" Addie asked. "It doesn't have to. Besides, would you rather be doing stuff with me, or making awkward conversation with Felicity and your uncle?"

"Well, since you put it _that_ way," Sam grinned and started toward her, then pulled back. "Maybe this whole thing with you and me wasn't such a good idea after all. I mean, you're a pretty girl, but I don't think I can do this. It's not fair to either of us."

"Oh, come on!" Addie cried and put her arms around his neck. "It's not so bad!" She blew in his ear and he felt himself bringing his arms up around her and sliding them down towards her butt before he blinked and pushed her back onto his bed. "No!" He cried. "I can't, this is wrong, and I think I should take you home."

"Really?" Addie asked. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am," Sam replied firmly. "Get in the car."

"Fine," Addie sighed, running her tongue across her lips. "But I really think you're missing out on something here."

"I know," Sam sighed sadly. "But that's how it has to be." He grabbed his keys, and for the first time that he could remember, drove a pretty girl home without having seen her naked first.

* * *

"Damon," Elijah said in surprise. "What brings you here?"

"I need to talk to Selina about Sam," Damon replied, striding through Elijah and Selina's front door. "Don't worry. You can chaperone if you want."

"Don't think I won't," Elijah replied.

They headed to the library and Selina started as she saw them. "Damon!" She cried. "What's going on?"

"Sam's a bit upset," Damon replied.

"Why?" Selina asked. "What about?"

"Well, he met Addie when we were at the bar the other night and the two of them hit it off. However, when Roxie and I pointed out that they were related and sex wasn't an option, they got a bit upset."

"Well, I'm sorry for them," Selina replied. "I don't mean to be a prolific breeder, but that's how it happened. What do you want me to do about it?"

"Nothing," Damon replied. "I just wanted to give you an update."

"Well, I'd feel worse if Sam thought Addie was someone he could have a future with. But that's probably not the case, right?" Selina asked. "He's the same sort of heart breaker you are?"

"Well, even if Addie _was_ the sort of person Sam could spend the rest of his life with, we won't know, will we?" Damon replied. "It's a good thing he has that job from Hazel to keep him distracted."

"Can I just ask..." Selina began. "Do you know what the job _is_ that Sam's doing for Hazel?"

"He's tailing some kid for her," Damon shrugged. "That's all I know."

"Well, I hope he's not gonna get himself into trouble," Selina replied. "Hazel tried to kill me once. When she wants something, she means business. I just...I'm worried Sam's gonna get himself into something so deep he won't be able to get out of it."

"Well, we can only hope that won't happen for now," Damon replied.

"Can't you talk to him?" Selina asked. "Maybe tell him that what he's doing could lead to bad things?"

"And if I do, do you _really_ think he'll listen?" Damon asked her. "He's our kid. Did we _ever_ listen to our parents when they thought we were doing something wrong? I hate to say this, but I think the best thing to do is let him make his own mistakes."

Selina sighed. "I guess you're right. I _really_ hope nothing bad happens to him, though."

* * *

"Enid!" Hazel said as she entered her sister's apartment on the upper floor of the bar. "Enid! Can I talk to you?" She was prepared to be met by a very angry Enid, but instead, she heard singing, and her sister came out dancing with a smile on her face. She only saw the smile briefly however, as Enid sobered at the sight of her. "Leave it to you to ruin a good mood," she grouched. "What do you want?"

"I came to explain myself," Hazel replied. "About Joey, I mean."

"You-you can't explain about Joey!" Enid replied. "Nothing you say will make what you're doing all right. You're hunting down an innocent boy whose only wrongdoing in your eyes was being born!"

"But you started this!" Hazel reminded her. "You revived Joey when you _knew_ it was against Father's rules to use magic to bring back the dead. I'm just righting your wrong on Father's orders."

"What kind of bull is that?" Enid replied. "Why, for once in your life, can't you look Father in the eye, tell him 'no' and follow your own heart? You know that what you're doing isn't right, don't you? If Father hadn't made a law against Joey being brought back from the dead, if it was someone other than him who made the law, would you still follow it so blindly?"

"Well," now Hazel looked uncertain. "I don't know."

"Yes, you do!" Enid told her. "I know it, Hazel. Because I know _you._ You'd let him go. You'd understand that he's a boy who deserves to live his life. That it's not his fault that rules were broken and he shouldn't be punished for someone else's mistake. If there have to be consequences for what happened to Joey, I'll take them on, whatever they are. But please, just...you and Daddy leave Joey alone!"

"Why are you so attached to this boy?" Hazel asked her sister. "What is it about him that's making you willing to throw your earthy existence away?"

"I love him," Enid told her. "And Addison too. I'm surprised you and Father aren't going after _both_ of the twins."

"Father sees no need to go after Addison," Hazel replied. "Believe me, I'm curious about why as well, but I don't want to question his word."

"Of course you don't," Enid sighed.

It was then that Hazel noticed the picture on the mantle. "It's that boy you've been chasing for _years_. When are you going to learn, Enid, that whether men be human, warlock, werewolf, or vampire, they're all fickle? Their fickleness is what inspired you to create werewolves in the first place! Or don't you remember? Going after them and giving in to your emotions should be beneath you."

"I think you're wrong," Enid told her. "I love Owen with all my heart. He's different. I've loved him for a very long time, and I want to protect him from you and your stupid ideas. That's why I only see him for a week every five-hundred years."

Hazel snorted. "Yes, that really sounds like love to me!"

"Well, fuck you!" Enid burst out. "What do _you_ know? You've never let yourself love anyone! That's probably why, under all your bravado, you're a cold, loveless, bitter person who can think of nothing to do with herself but make other people just as miserable!"

"I won't be spoken to like that!" Hazel said.

"I'm not sorry," Enid told her. "Tell Daddy all you want, but just get the hell out of my apartment!"

And with a burst of magic that was more like a _boom!_ than a _pop,_ Hazel disappeared leaving Enid alone with the picture of the love of her life.

* * *

"Oh, my god!" Laura cried, running out to Edward. "Edward! Feel! Feel!"

"What?" Edward asked, eyes wide. "What's the matter? Are you okay?"

"Yes!" Laura cried. "Just feel!"

She took his hand and put it on her stomach.

"Well, what do you know?" Edward said, grinning after a few seconds. "There's a baby in there!"

"Yeah, there is!" Laura replied. "It took me awhile to realize it, though. At first, I just thought I ate something funny. Then it hit me. Isn't this exciting? We should go tell my daddy!"

"You should," Edward corrected. "He doesn't want to see me yet."

"Oh, sure he does," Laura said, pulling the sleeve of Edward's jacket. "He throws fits like that all the time and is in a forgiving mood the next day!"

"Are you sure?" Edward asked.

"Yes," Laura replied. "I swear, he's forgiven you by now. Come on!" She got a look on her face that caused Edward concern. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Laura shook her head. "Just the baby again. They want you to come too."

Edward sighed. "Well, all right," he said. "I guess I have no choice but to go then."

"So, did that egg project we did for school actually help you?" Laura asked him as they made their way out to the car. "Or did it just make things worse?"

"Well, I was panicked for awhile, as you know," Edward replied as he helped her into the car. "But now I'm more worried about your father."

"Oh, don't be," Laura told him again. "Mom's probably ordered him to play nice by now. I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"All right," Edward nodded. "If you're sure."

They drove to Elijah and Selina's, where Elijah met them at the door with more enthusiasm than Edward expected.

"Care to explain the cordial greeting?" Edward asked Selina when a jubilant Elijah retreated to the kitchen.

"My ex has been coming to visit lately and having him around upsets Elijah," Selina told him. "I guess Elijah's just glad you're not him."

"You mean Uncle Klaus has been visiting?" Laura asked. "Why would Daddy be upset to see him?"

"Not your uncle," Selina shook her head. "My _other_ ex."

"Well, pardon me for asking," Edward replied. "But just how many exes do you have that Mr. Mikaelson is wary of?"

"Only two," Selina replied. "Now, what was it that sent you over here?"

"Baby's kicking," Laura replied. "And I'm _so_ glad I'm not sick anymore!"

"It's nice, isn't it?" Selina replied.

"Hell, yes!" Laura nodded. "It makes work a whole lot easier. Enid will probably let me off when I start to get bigger, though."

"And your graduation is in a couple of months," Selina added. "What do you want to do about that?"

"Well, I would prefer a small party, very informal," Laura replied. "You know, burgers, shakes, maybe a cake from the bakery. Dad'll probably want to do something big and fancy, won't he?"

"Probably," Selina nodded. "But I'll try to talk him out of it."

"Talk me out of what?" Elijah asked, coming back into the room.

"Laura only wants a small graduation party," Selina told him. "Not one of your big, fancy paloozas."

"Oh, why?" Elijah asked, looking sad.

"Cause I just don't understand why there needs to be all the fuss when something small is just as good," Laura replied to her father. "Don't you think?"

"I guess," Elijah sighed. "If it's what you want, Laura. Is that how you feel, Edward?"

"Sure," Edward nodded. "That would be fine."

Elijah had clearly been counting on Edward to back him up, but he took it in stride. "So," he began. "What is-"

"Baby kicking!" Laura interrupted. "Wanna feel?"

"No, thanks," Elijah replied. "I'll just believe you." He gave her a hug. "I'm happy for the two of you."

"So, are you gonna go see Enid so she can tell you what you're having?" Selina asked.

"I kind of want to be surprised, actually," Laura replied. "We'll paint the room sunny yellow, cause that's a color for either sex, then whatever comes out will come out."

"That's very practical," Edward told her. "I'm amazed."

"Well, sometimes, I'm just full of surprises," Laura told him. "I can be practical sometimes, even though it's not my favorite thing. That's what I have _you_ for!" She giggled.

They stayed a little longer, then left because Laura and Edward both had homework to do.

"It's not _fair_," Laura whined. "Why do I have to be pregnant _and_ do homework too?" She peered at Edward, who was driving. "Remember when you did my homework? That was nice."

"I'm glad you can't compel me," Edward told her. "Cause I have a feeling that if you could, you'd do it right now."

"No, I wouldn't!" Laura replied. "I would just complain vociferously until you gave in."

"That wouldn't happen," Edward told her. "I'd never give in."

"Are you sure?" Laura asked.

"Yes, I'm sure," Edward told her. "The sooner you start your homework, the sooner it will be done, and you won't have to think about it anymore."

"Fine," Laura sighed. "I'll do my stupid homework. Even the math. But I won't like it."

"I know," Edward told her. "But that's not new. You never do."

They arrived home and Laura went straight to her side of their room. "Tell me if you need any help," Edward told her.

"I will," Laura sighed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Edward replied. "Good luck.

"Yeah," Laura nodded at him. "Same to you."


	11. Joey Comes Home

"What did you find out about the feud?" Selina asked Joey. "Did Uncle Jake tell you anything interesting?"

"Yep," Diana told her. "He said it led to his death. He was friends with both a Talbot and a Lucas, they both rained terror on the town because of the feud, and when they found out they were gonna get caught, they high-tailed it out of town and everything was blamed on Jake instead. That's why he was killed."

"Oh, my god!" Selina's eye began to twitch. "So you're telling me that whole reason my family had to spend their whole lives in fear of the people of Mystic Falls was because the Talbots and the Lucases framed Uncle Jake and caused his death? And they called him their friend before! They were just a couple of self-absorbed sons of bitches weren't they? No consideration for how their selfish actions would affect other people!"

"I think we should go," Diana replied, standing up. "Otherwise, she might kill us."

"No, no," Selina replied, trying to calm down. "I'm not mad at you. You didn't do anything. It was your relatives who caused my life to be ruined."

"And how exactly did they ruin your life?" Diana asked. "You weren't even born when the feud happened, right?"

"Well, no," Selina sighed. "But the whole family lived in fear after Uncle Jake was killed. They had to behave like humans and there was constant worry that they would be found out and killed too. Mama got real worried when I was five and nearly killed somebody. That's when I was put on an awfully short leash and she tried to make me someone I wasn't, just because _she_ was afraid."

"But she was just trying to protect you," Diana reasoned. "You can't fault her for that, can you?"

"Well, no," Selina replied. "But if your relatives hadn't fucked up and caused the death of mine, I would have had a more normal childhood. I would have been able to be the person that I wanted to be, and I could've actually had a good relationship with my mother. But I guess none of that mattered to Jeremiah Lucas and Alexander Talbot as long as they got to do what they had to in order to get out of Mystic Falls!"

"All right, Grandma," Joey called after her as she stomped away. "This was a nice chat, but we'll go now."

He pulled Diana out of the house and they made their way toward the car to go back to Jake's. "Well, I think it's a good idea for us not to talk to _her_ again," Diana said. "Do you think she hates both of us now cause of what our families did to her uncle?"

"Well, she can't hate me," Joey replied. "Cause I'm family. But I would stay clear if I were you."

"No problem," Diana replied, feeling a bit nervous. "After that look on her face, you don't have to tell me twice." As they pulled away from the house, Diana said, "So, are we going straight back to Jake's, or...?"

"I don't know," Joey replied. "I'll call to see if he's having Sherry over, and if so, we'll go to Enid's. I need to visit her anyway, cause she's probably worried for me. In fact, let's just do that. Is that okay with you?"

"Sure," Diana nodded. "Why not?"

* * *

"So..." Addie asked Enid, taking the picture off the table of her upstairs apartment at the bar that showed a smiling young man with dark eyes, and curly dark hair. "Who's this guy? He's cute!"

"His name is Owen," Enid told her. "He's my...I guess you could call him my boyfriend. But I only get to see him for a week every five hundred years."

"Well, that's not fair!" Addie exclaimed. "What did you do to get punished like that?"

"I didn't get punished," Enid told her. "It was my idea. I just...I didn't want Hazel to hurt him, so I told him we had to see each other as little as possible. However, he's coming soon! I'm so happy!" She began jumping up and down.

"When he comes, can I meet him?" Addie asked.

"Sure," Enid replied. "I think he'll like you. He'll probably even see you as the daughter he never had."

"Cool," Addie grinned. "I can't wait!"

Just then, they heard a knock on the apartment door and Enid tensed.

"What's the matter?" Addie asked.

"It could be Hazel," Enid whispered. "She knows that it's just about time for me to see Owen and she has no problem with yelling at me about it." They hoped their not answering the door would cause the person on the other side to go away, but they didn't. Instead, the knocking became more insistent, and Joey finally called out, "Aunt Enid? It's Joey! Can I come in?"

Enid let out a breath and went to answer the door. "Sorry," she said as Joey and Diana entered the apartment . "I thought you were Hazel, and after what she did to you, I have no interest in letting _her_ back in here."

"Well, thanks," Joey replied. "But I haven't seen her around me lately and _believe _me, I've been looking over my shoulder. I think she's lost interest in me."

"I wouldn't count on it," Enid replied. "Just because my sister stops following you around personally doesn't mean she's lost interest. It just means she's working on finding a more subtle way of tailing you, so she can get what she wants without you knowing. If you see anything suspicious, just let me know and I'll deal with it."

"Well, thanks," Joey replied. "Thanks so much for looking out for me through all this. I don't know why you're so interested in helping me, but I'm grateful."

"Well, it's my pleasure," Enid replied. "If anyone knows what it feels like to have Hazel following them day and night because of things that really aren't her business, it's me. I don't want you to go through the same thing."

"Why would she want to go after you?" Joey asked. "You're her sister."

Addie took the picture of Owen off the table and showed it to her twin brother. "You see this guy? Enid loves him and because he's just a typical warlock, Hazel doesn't approve."

"Well, damn!" Joey said, his voice full of sympathy. "That sucks."

"Yeah, well, stuff happens," Enid shrugged. "Now, who's your friend?"

"Oh," Joey turned. "This is Diana," he said, urging the redhead to come forward. "We're friends. She's a Lucas."

"A Lucas and a Talbot," Enid replied. "How remarkable. And I thought my relationship with Owen was going up against serious odds."

"Yeah, his grandma wasn't too happy when we told her the part that Jake had to play in everything," Diana replied. "She seemed really pissed off about it, as a matter of fact."

"But I know she won't go after me and the rest of the Talbots because we're family," Joey added. "It's Diana I'm worried about."

"Yes," Enid sighed. "What happened to Jake was a tragedy. He used to come in here often, especially when he was doing his research and right after he turned. Then, he stopped coming and no one knew why. He was killed, you said?"

"Yeah," Diana replied. "Offered up as an excuse for the destruction the Talbots and the Lucases caused, so they could get out of town undetected and continue the feud in a more secluded spot."

"But he's alive again," Joey told her. "Some sort of witchcraft Alistair did a long time ago. Do you want me to tell him to stop by and see you?"

"Sure," Enid replied. "Would you?"

Joey nodded and he and Diana made their way toward the apartment door to go down to the ground floor.

"I should probably go too," Addie replied. "I think it's almost time for my shift, and Sam said he was gonna stop by today."

"You really like Sam, huh?" Enid asked with a smile.

"Yeah," Addie nodded. "I do. But, as Mom already reminded me, he and I are related so we can't do anything more than be friends."

"Because you have Selina as a common ancestor," Enid said.

"Yep," Addie nodded dejectedly. "Exactly."

"Well, don't be too hard on yourself," Enid replied. "If he's your mate, there's not a lot you can do."

"But I'd be having sex with my uncle, or however he's related to me!" Addie cried. "Isn't that gross or something?"

"It is," Enid replied. "Taboo. But here's the thing: relatives never feel the urge to mate with each other. So you go and have fun with Sam."

"Really?" Addie asked. "Are you serious? But I don't get it. What do you know that you're not telling me?"

Enid sighed. "Never mind," she said. "I think it might be easiest to listen to your Mom and do what she says."

"Yeah, but you just said..." Addie trailed off.

"Go downstairs," Enid said firmly. "It's about time for your shift to start."

Addie wanted to say something more, but when it was made clear by the look on Enid's face that nothing else pertinent would be coming from her, Addie just sighed, shook her head, and went downstairs.

* * *

"Well, look who's back at the bar?" Roxie commented as Addie came downstairs. "Sam Salvatore! And he and your brother seem to be having a nice chat."

"I know he's at one of your tables, Mom, but can I take his order?" Addie begged. "Please?"

"All right," Roxie sighed. "But remember what I said about getting too attached to him."

"Yeah, sure," Addie nodded. "Whatever." She strode over to the table where Sam sat, chatting with Joey and Diana. "What can I get you?" She asked him.

"Well, along with the company of an extremely hot waitress, I don't know," Sam winked. "What do you recommend?"

"How about I surprise you?" Addie suggested.

"Sure," he nodded. "Why not?" Addie gave him a grin and Roxie could clearly see him eying her daughter's butt as Addie walked away.

"Was he looking at me?" Addie asked. "Are you gonna tell Dad? Will he be upset?"

Roxie sighed. "Why are you doing this to me?!" She asked her daughter. "Why are you turning me into a nagging parent who cares way too much about her kids' love lives?"

"Well, there's an easy way to fix that, you know," Addie told her, setting the paper down. "Just don't nag."

Roxie rolled her eyes, made Sam's drink, and put it on a tray for her. "What do you have for me there?" Sam asked as Addie set the tray down. Her cleavage was well in Sam's view, but he did his best to look away from it. "So," he repeated, clearing his throat and tugging on his collar. "What do you have for me there?"

"Boilermaker," Addie replied. "Glass of beer, shot of whiskey. Think you can handle it?"

"Well, of course I can," Sam replied. "Not a problem."

"My brothers like those," Diana told him. "I tried one once on a bet and it didn't end well."

"But I can," Sam replied and began chugging the beer as both Joey and Diana watched in amazement. When the glass was drained, he downed the shot, licked his lips, and grinned at his tablemates' amazement. "There," he said, and burped. "Told you I could do it!"

"Impressive," Addie replied and picked up the glasses. "I'll be sure to make a note."

"Give me another one, would you?" Sam asked her.

"All right," Addie replied. "If that's what you think you can handle." She left and Sam turned his attention back to the pair sitting with him. "So," he said. "You two come in here often? I'm practically a newbie myself."

"I actually lived here for awhile," Joey replied.

"But I'm relatively new," Diana replied. "I'm Diana, by the way. And this is Joey."

"Joey Talbot?" Sam asked, shaking their hands.

"Yeah," Joey replied. "How did you know?"

Sam shrugged. "Your grandma is my mom. Long story."

"Well, what do you know?" Diana grinned. "Joey, you have a new uncle!"

"I know!" Joey replied. "Well, actually, I didn't, but you know what I mean."

"Addie and I were thinking of going out sometime, you know, as friends," Sam said. "You two seem chummy. Wanna join us?"

"Sure," Diana said as Joey nodded. "Let's. It's not like we have anything else to do."

"All right," Sam grinned. "Once Addie gets back here, we'll make plans."

Addie came back with Sam's drink, got a beer for Joey and White Russians for Diana and herself, then the four of them toasted their friendship before making plans to go out together on the upcoming Friday night.

"I'm actually looking forward to it," Diana said as she took Joey's hand and they left the bar. "Are you?"

"Yeah," Joey nodded. "I've never really had friends because of the looming threat of Hazel, so this could be the start of something good for me, I think."

"Well, good," Diana replied. "I'm happy for you, Joey."

"Yeah," Joey nodded. "I'm happy for me too."


	12. Someone's Walking On MY Grave

"And just what is the matter with you?" Elijah asked Selina as she stormed into his office.

"I am not happy right now!" Selina replied, stomping her foot.

"I can see that," Elijah replied, standing up from his desk. "Anything I can do to help?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "I just found out that my uncle was murdered because of crimes he didn't commit, and the people who _did_ commit them got off scot-free!"

"Well, that's unfortunate," Elijah replied. "I'm sorry. Is there anything we can do to bring these people to justice?"

"No, it's not possible!" Selina replied. "Everything happened over two hundred years ago, so they're all dead."

"Well, then I have to say that I think it's pointless to work yourself up," Elijah told her, coming around to take her in his arms. "I think you have more worthwhile things to do with yourself than getting upset over events that can't be changed."

"But you don't understand!" Selina told him. "These guys really screwed me and my family over! I wanna like, spit on their graves, or dig their bodies up and set them on fire or something!"

"You will not do that," Elijah told her firmly. "You will be calm and get your mind on other, less provocative things."

"All right," Selina replied. "Sure." She took a deep, calming breath.

"Good girl," Elijah praised her. "Now, I think you should go take a bath or do something else so you can relax."

"Or _you _could help me with that," Selina suggested.

"I would, but I have things to do before Father and I go out hunting tomorrow."

"All right," Selina sighed. "I'll go take a bath by myself. But you stay in here and think about what you're missing out on."

"Oh, I will," Elijah replied, without looking up. "I promise."

Selina left the office and shut the door behind her, wishing the bathroom she would be using was closer to it so she could moan obnoxiously as she scrubbed herself with sudsy water and Elijah would hear it loud and clear.

She reached her and Elijah's room, got the water running, put in some bubble bath, undressed, and boosted herself into the tub. Despite what she'd told Elijah, she _really_ thought that Uncle Jake needed to be avenged. She knew he'd never do it himself, so it was all up to her. The question was, how to do it? She remembered what she'd told Elijah earlier, about digging up the men's bodies and setting them on fire. That seemed like a doable suggestion. Now, all she had to do was research where the right cemetery was, maybe get someone to come with her, and then, she'd get her revenge!

* * *

That night, Klaus and Elijah's sister Anna was roused abruptly from sleep by the sound of one of her bedroom windows breaking. She got out of bed, sped over to the window, and called out, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Anna!" Selina called from the yard. "Sorry about your window! Can I come in?"

Anna sighed. "Why did I even ask who it was?" She muttered to herself as she put a robe on and went downstairs. "I should have _known_ who it was. Not many people visit me."

She opened the door and Selina came in. "Hey," she said. "How are you?"

"Good, for it being just after one in the morning," Anna replied. "You?"

"Is Jim out again?" Selina asked. "It seems like whenever I come over, your husband isn't here."

"He died," Anna replied. "Car accident. Skidded on some ice, car exploded." She sighed. "Humans are so fragile."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Selina replied, her voice full of sympathy. "Do you want me to go and leave you alone?"

"No," Anna replied. "Actually, I could use the company. What brings you here? Just the need to chat?"

"Not exactly," Selina shook her head as both women made their way to the kitchen. "I need a favor. I know I shouldn't have any right to ask you for one since we've hardly seen each other since your wedding, but I'm asking anyway: I need you to come to a cemetery and help me dig up some bodies so I can burn them."

Anna stared at her hopeful face incredulously for a few minutes, burst out laughing, and when she got her breath, replied, "That was_ not_ what I expected you to say."

"I know," Selina replied. "So will you help me?"

"Does Elijah know you're doing this?" Anna asked.

"Not at the moment," Selina replied. "He's at home asleep. I hinted at it earlier today when the thing that made me want to do it actually happened, but he just thinks I was venting."

"Oh, all right, good." Anna grinned. "Nice to see you back. I honestly thought Elijah had turned you nice for good."

"I admit he has, mostly," Selina conceded. "But sometimes, I have dark moments still, no matter _what_ he says."

"Good to know," Anna replied. She dressed quickly and then the two of them went to Selina's car. "I have shovels already, and the fire source," Selina told her. "It's all in the trunk."

"So," Anna asked as they got in the car and drove off. "How far is this cemetery, anyway?"

"Not far," Selina replied. "I promise."

* * *

"Kind of run down, isn't it?" Anna asked as she and Selina forced open the ivy-covered gate, breaking the lock.

"Yeah," Selina nodded, holding the flashlight and training it on various graves. Anna held the shovels and the gasoline. "But that's a good thing. The people I'm looking for were killed over two hundred years ago." She let out a soft exclamation as she found the right graves, ironically side by side.

"All right," she told Anna. "Here's where we dig." But they'd barely gotten their shovels in the ground when, out of nowhere, two burly figures appeared and attacked them.

"Who are you?" the one that held Selina asked. She punched him and pushed him off of her. "My uncle was a Lockwood," She said, kicking the main repeatedly before sinking her fangs into his neck. "And these two fools caused his death. So I deserve vengeance now, don't you think?" She then ripped the man's throat, tossed him aside, and let him bleed out. Anna was being much more gentle with his friend.

"You're a Lockwood?" He asked as Anna let him sit up.

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "I am. What the hell are you and that friend of yours doing here?"

"We're just guarding our ancestor's graves so no one from the other clan comes to defile them," The man explained. "We weren't expecting a Lockwood."

"Why not?" Selina asked. "You only caused the death of my ancestor just so this damn feud of yours could go on. But I bet your ancestors didn't care about him, did they? He was just a means to an end so they could continue their stupid, fucking feud and murder everyone in sight without being killed themselves."

The man didn't know how to respond to that. Finally, Selina just grabbed hold of him and started feeding before offering him to Anna. "Want some?" She asked. "This is much better than the crap Elijah makes me drink at home.

"Sure," Anna replied. "Thanks."

Once both men were dead, they continued digging and reached the coffins of each man. There wasn't much left of their corpses, but Selina set what remained on fire, and then she and Anna threw the bodies of the men they'd just killed in their ancestors' coffins before burying them again. Then, they heard a yell. Turning, they saw a cemetery caretaker with a camera watching them with frightened eyes. They grinned at each other and chanced down the man as well, killing him and leaving the body on the front porch before driving away. Selina dropped Anna off first, and then drove herself home with the goal of sneaking in so that Elijah would never notice she was gone.

She managed to make it, and thought she was home free, but two days later, news of her and Anna's jaunt came on the news:

"In a startling discovery last night," said the very severe-looking reporter, "The caretaker of the old cemetery on route 6 that contains the remains of the infamous feuding Lucas and Talbot families was found broken into last night. In addition, the caretaker was found dead on his porch, and after further examination from the police, it was found that the graves of Jeremiah Lucas and Alexander Talbot had been disturbed. There is no way to ascertain at this moment who the perpetrator is, but the police say they have every intention of catching them."

Elijah turned off the television and faced her, shock in his eyes. "Did you do this?" He asked. "I mean, I know you mentioned you were going to break into a cemetery to avenge your relatives, but I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to actually do it!"

"Oh, screw you!" Selina shot back. "If you were in my position, you'd have done exactly the same thing, you hypocrite! Will you at least let me explain why I did what I did?"

"Fine," Elijah replied, his arms crossed. "You have sixty seconds."

"The two guys I went after, their actions caused my uncle's death," Selina replied. "That's why I dug up their graves and stuff. And then Anna and I had to kill thee other people because if we hadn't, they would have found us out!"

"Wait," Elijah's eyes widened. "You and my sister killed _three_ people? But only one was mentioned on the news."

"That's because we buried the other two in their ancestors' coffins," Selina replied. "They'll not be found as easily. Now come on, you can't _really_ scold me for committing murder to uphold my family name, can you? I know you've done that. And how did you know I was with your sister?"

Elijah sighed. "Who else has been with you when you do ridiculous, violent things?' Then, he lapsed into silence. She had a good point. He _had_ committed honor killings before. But he knew when to stop and he was worried that if he showed he condoned this, she'd take it as an O.K. to just kill whenever she wanted. Finally, he said, "In this particular case, I suppose it would be wrong of me to scold you, but I don't want you to make a habit of murdering people for no reason."

"I won't," Selina replied. "This was just a one-time thing. I _swear."_

"Well, fine," Elijah replied. "If you're telling the truth, we'll forget about it, then. What did my sister say when you showed up at her doorstep?"

"She was surprised but pleased," Selina replied. "Her husband died in a car accident awhile ago, so she's been alone for a time and was glad for my company."

"Her husband died?" Elijah asked. "What a shame. We'll have to have her over to visit sometime."

"We really should," Selina agreed. "Ever since I met Amy, I've kind of been neglectful of her."

"That might be a good thing, though," Elijah told her. "Amy is a _much_ better influence."

"I knew you'd say that," Selina told him. "But that doesn't mean we should leave your sister behind."

"Fine," Elijah replied. "Call her up and set up an outing if you would like."

"All right," Selina said, standing up and going to root around in her purse for her phone. "I will."

* * *

"Thanks for picking me up for our first...whatever this is," Addie told Sam as they drove to the restaurant where they were meeting Joey and Diana. "I don't think it's a date, so I could've driven to the restaurant myself."

"But where's the fun in that?" Sam asked.

"There is none," Addie replied. "You make a good point." She then twisted around to look at the seats behind her. "You know," she said, clearing her throat. "I didn't think your car would be anything like this."

"You didn't?" Sam asked. "What sort of car did you think I would have?"

"Well, one with a bigger backseat for one thing," Addie replied. Sam scoffed. "Please," he said after a chuckle. "I've been with a lot of women for sure, but never in my car. I'm not just some high school jock looking for a quickie. I try to be classier than that."

"Do you?" Addie replied. "So, can I assume you'd at least buy me-I mean, your date-dinner first?"

"Well, yeah," Sam grinned. "If you-I mean, my date-wants it, that is."

They arrived at the restaurant and parked the car. When Sam opened the door for Addie, she hopped out, took a few steps, and then stumbled so Sam had to catch her.

"Sorry," Addie replied. "New shoes, high heels, sucky balance."

"No problem," Sam replied, holding on to her for a few seconds, then letting her stand up. "Are you gonna be all right now?"

"Maybe," Addie replied. "But you could hold on to my hand just to make sure I don't fall again. I can be really clumsy sometimes."

"Well," Sam replied, taking her hand and holding it tight. "We wouldn't want you to fall and hurt yourself, would we?"

He led her into the restaurant and they looked around for Joey and Diana. "Looks like we're the first ones here," Addie commented. They got a table, sat down, and played footsie under the table while they waited for Joey and Diana to join them.

"Are we interrupting something?" Joey asked good-naturedly as he and Diana reached the table.

"No," Sam replied as he and Addie looked away from each other. "We're fine."

"Sorry we had to delay this dinner a day or two," Joey told them. "But stuff happens."

"Did you hear about that story on the news?" Diana asked. "Some nut broke into the cemetery where Joey's and my ancestors are buried and...messed with the graves! Oh, and I suppose yours too, Addie, since you're twins. Maybe they even dug the bodies up. And the cemetery caretaker was killed too."

"Well, what kind of a psycho would do something like that?" Sam asked. "Some crazy people needing dead bodies for some sort of ritual?"

"I don't know," Diana replied. "The police don't have any leads."

"Well, I hope they find out who did it soon," Joey replied. "It's scary to think there are people out there crazy enough to do things like that."

"I agree," Addie said. "Now can we talk about something more pleasant than dug up graves and murders?"

"Really, you want to change the subject?" Joey asked her in surprise. "I thought it would be right up your alley."

"But it's not," Addie replied. "Especially when I'm about to eat."

"Can I just add one thing to the conversation before we change the subject?" Sam asked.

"Oh all right," Addie replied. "What is it that you want to say?"

Sam thought a moment. "I would just loved to have been there when the crazy person showed up, don't you think? I would have loved to see what kind of crazy person would dig up a dead body. All right, I'm done. We can change topics now."

"Good," Addie replied. They ordered a bottle of wine after Sam compelled the waiter, and then once he was gone, focused on their menus. "That was really cool, what you just did," Addie told Sam. He grinned. "What's dinner without a little wine?" He asked jovially.

"Wait," Diana said in amazement. "Did you seriously just make it so the waiter would bring us wine? No wonder he didn't even card us! This is cool!" She looked at Joey. "Isn't it cool?"

"I could have done that," Joey said. "I'm a vampire too."

"Oh, don't look so hurt," Diana told him. "You can make him give us free dessert and I'll like _you_ even more."

"All right," Joey said. "Just to prove that I can, I'll do that!"

With this promise in mind, Diana urged everyone to eat dinner as fast as they possibly could. Then, not only did they order dessert, but, thanks to Joey, ordered _multiple_ desserts, so as they left the restaurant Addie felt like it was difficult to move.

"Want me to carry you?" Sam asked her.

"I don't know how much I weigh after all that dessert, but you can give it a try," Addie responded. To her surprise, Sam picked her up easily, and, after Joey and Diana pulled out of the parking lot, he sped Addie over to his car, setting her down by the passenger side door.

"I feel like I should thank you," she told him. "Not just for carrying me to the car, but for everything. It was a great night."

"You're welcome," Sam replied, opening the car door. "Your carriage, my lady."

"Thanks again," Addie grinned at him. She then took a few steps toward the car before she turned back to him, kissing him long enough that he could feel himself begin to get excited.

"Okay, okay," he said, pushing her back. "I get it, you're grateful, you're welcome."

"Want a tissue?" Addie asked, pulling one out of her purse. "You have my lipstick on your face."

"Give it," Sam replied, snatching it away from her. He then threw it on the ground before helping Addie into the car, and driving her back to her house, where he dropped her off at her door, and then sped off before she could invite him in to see her parents.


	13. Looking For Treasure

"I love what you've done with the place, Enid," Laura told her as Edward led his pregnant wife inside. "So romantic. How long until your boyfriend comes?"

Just a couple more days," Enid replied. "I just...it's getting really hard to wait!" She peered at Laura. "And how are you doing? Whenever you start feeling like you can't handle your work load, just let me know and I'll let you off."

"Well, thanks," Laura replied, wincing at the soreness in her back as she sat down on the bar stool. "I hate to admit it, but I might have to take you up on that at some point."

"Or I could cover her shifts for her," Edward offered. "It's no different than doing her homework."

"You do her homework?" Roxie asked. "Haven't your teachers caught on yet?"

"I don't do it _all _the time," Edward replied. "Just when she feels ill. And I told her she had to be honest with me about that."

"And I really do try to be," Laura replied earnestly. "Even though the urge to play sick all the time is always there to tempt me."

"Maybe I'm becoming a good influence on you," Edward suggested.

"Yeah," Laura replied thoughtfully and ordered a club soda. "Maybe that's it."

"We seem to be having something of a baby boom around here lately what with you being pregnant, and then Helene..."

"It _is_ a nice coincidence," Laura replied.

"Are you _sure_ you don't want to find out what kind of baby you're having?" Enid asked Laura.

"Yeah," Laura nodded. "We're sure." She paused. "So, has it been a long time since you saw your boyfriend?"

"Yes," Enid replied. "Five hundred years. And you know what? I think I might have a way to get him to stay permanently this time."

"You mean, other than _asking_ him to stay?" Laura asked.

"I know about asking him!" Enid replied, her eyes flashing. "Of course he'd say 'Yes' to _that_. But even if he _said_ yes, there's still the Hazel problem to fix, and I know how to do it: the Noir diamond."

"What's that?" Laura asked.

"It's a powerful diamond my father gave my mother. So powerful that if I got my hands on it, I'd be more powerful than Hazel, and she'd have no choice but to let me and Owen be!" Enid grinned.

"And do you know where it is?" Laura asked.

"I did once," Enid replied. "But it disappeared years and years ago to I don't know where."

"I do," Hazel replied, appearing quite suddenly. "And it's _never_ going to leave my sight, no matter how much you try to get it away!" She disappeared and Edward scoffed. "A little over dramatic, isn't she?"

"Yes," Enid sighed. "That she is." Then, she looked at Laura. "I think the last person to have the diamond was my sister Vanessa, and more than anyone, she hung around your Uncle Klaus. If you see him, would you ask him if he's seen it?"

Just then, Klaus came in, clutching the diamond and chain in his palm. "What can you tell me about this, Enid?"

And Enid smiled at Laura. "Never mind," she said.

* * *

"Can we talk?" Sam asked Addie.

"You mean about the kiss?" Addie asked. "Well, I didn't mean anything by it. If it bothered you, then I'm sorry. I'd had a lot of wine, and it seemed like a good thing to do at the time."

"No, it's fine," Sam replied. "You don't have to apologize."

They were loitering in the hallway before third period. "You want to ditch your next class so we can talk?"

"Sure," Addie nodded. "I think maybe we'd better."

They left the building and went to sit on the front steps.

"I'm not embarrassed about the kiss," he told her. "In fact, I liked it."

"I know," Addie replied. "I felt that."

"But I think we should be careful about doing it again," Sam replied. "At least for the moment."

"I agree," Addie replied. "And no more wine for me when we go out, huh?"

Sam chuckled. "I won't if you won't," he said.

Then, Addie got a twinkle in her eye. "Since we're out here anyway, you wanna go get ice cream?" She asked.

"Sure," Sam replied, standing and helping her up. "Why not?"

They walked to Sam's car and went to get ice cream, returning just in time for their next class.

"Bye," Sam said to Addie as he let go of her hand at her classroom door. "Want me to take you home after school?"

"Well, that depends," Addie replied. "Are you gonna drop me off at the front door and then run away from my parents in terror?"

"Don't say it like that," Sam told her. "You make me sound like a coward when you say it that way!"

"Well, then come in the house with me this time," Addie replied. "It's not difficult. My parents won't suspect a thing."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked.

"Yes," Addie nodded. "I'm sure."

"All right," Sam replied. "See you after school."

* * *

Despite Sam's solemn promise to Addie that he would come in with her and not feel the least bit self-conscious about it, when he parked in Vince and Roxie's driveway, that's exactly how he felt.

"Mom and Dad aren't home," Addie told him after noticing their car was gone. "You can relax now, Sam."

Sam let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, helped Addie out of the car, and followed her inside. Then, they found Joey waiting for them in the kitchen.

"Mom and Dad had to run to work," he informed them. "I don't know when they're gonna be back. Enid heard something about a diamond being found and had to make a run for it."

"A diamond?" Addie asked, scrunching her nose. "Why would a _diamond_ be so important?"

Joey shrugged. "Because it's fancy? I don't know. I'm just the messenger." He went to make himself a sandwich. "The two of you want anything?" He asked.

"No, thanks," Sam told him. "If we do, we can get it ourselves."

After that, they watched TV together until Roxie and Vince came home, then, after some brief small talk, Sam made a quick exit from the house.

"That Sam seems like a good boy," Vince commented. "It's a shame he never stays to talk long."

"He's afraid you'll hate him," Addie told her father. "I said that there was nothing to worry about, but he still insists on being a nervous Nellie anyway."

"That's a bummer," Vince replied. "I'd like to get to actually sit down and talk to him."

"I'll let him know that," Addie replied. "But just so you know, that might freak him out more than he is now, just FYI."

* * *

"So," Damon said when Sam strode in. "Where were you? Why didn't you come home after school? Why do you even _go_ to school? You're past the age where you need to."

"I know," Sam replied. "But there's a girl there who-" He paused, eying Lucy, who was sitting on the sofa and watching him intently. "What, no smart aleck comments from the peanut gallery about my going to school just so I can continue my habit of accumulating women?"

"There are worse ways to pick up women," Lucy replied. "At least by going after one at school, you have to take time to get educated. And that'll do you good whether the girl is smart enough not to fall for your tricks or not."

"Wow," Damon replied, looking back and forth between them. "I think that's the most civil exchange the two of you have had in awhile."

"I know," Lucy replied. "It's my goat to try and be civil to him, even when it's difficult. Him not living here permanently makes that a little easier."

"Well, actually," Sam replied, "Since I'm going to school, staying here would mean a shorter commute for me."

"All right," Damon nodded. "But I don't want either of you fighting with each other in return. Is that understood?"

"Yes," Lucy sighed. "All right."

"Okay," Sam replied. "I think I'll go to my room then."

Damon followed him after that. "So," he said when he'd caught up. "This girl...who is she? Come on, you can't keep me in the dark!"

"I can't tell you," Sam replied. "Cause you'll feel the need to tell Mom and it will upset her."

"I won't do that," Damon told him. "I promise."

Sam gave his father a long look before saying, "all right. It's Addie."

"Am I supposed to know who that is?" Damon asked. "I don't think I do."

"She's Roxie's daughter," Sam sighed.

"Oh." Damon sucked in his breath. "Now I know why you don't want me telling your mother. You're getting feelings for your niece."

"I know," Sam replied. "Every woman I see who _isn't_ related to me is a one night stand, but the second I find one I really like, she's related to me. Life's really a bitch, isn't it?"

Damon sighed. "Sometimes it is," he agreed, putting a hand on Sam's shoulder. "I'm sorry, son."

* * *

"So, what book did_ you _bring for 'read your favorite book' day?" Emily asked Henry.

"I don't think I brought one," Henry confessed. "We don't have a lot of books at my house."

"It's okay," Margaret said to him. "I brought one for you."

"Well, thank you," Henry said.

"That one's about pirates!" Emily observed. "Do you like pirates, Henry?"

"My dad used to be one," Henry replied.

"But pirates were a long time ago!" Emily pointed out, getting a better grip on her copy of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar."

"When he says his dad was a pirate, that was on a sports team," Margaret told Emily. "He's not talking about _real_ pirates."

"Oh," Emily nodded. "Okay." She went to sit down and Henry smiled at Margaret. "Thanks for getting me out of that," he told her.

"You're welcome," Margaret replied. "It's not a problem."

They sat down and he said, "sometimes I forget that I have to watch what I say around Emily because she's human."

"It's okay," Margaret replied. "I understand."

The teacher clapped her hands and urged everyone to look at her. "All right," she said. "Does everyone have a book? Hold up your books so I can see them."

When everyone held up their books, the teacher nodded with satisfaction. "Everyone find a place to sit yourselves down and start reading. But you have to be quiet so that people can concentrate."

The class got up from their desks and everyone found places to sit. To Henry's surprise, Margaret took a seat by herself in the corner and didn't protest when he chose to sit by Emily.

"I read better when I'm not distracted," she explained to him afterward. "I didn't hate you."

"I know," he said. "I wasn't worried." It was Margaret's day to go home with Henry, so they headed to Lenora and James' and Lenora met them at the front door with milk and cookies.

"How was your book reading day?" Lenora asked them. "Was it fun?"

"It was okay," Henry replied. "Considering it would have scared people if I'd have brought my story to life. Where's Daddy? Did he have to work again?"

"No," Lenora shook her head. "He's out in the boat with Rusty and Susanna."

Henry and Margaret went out into the yard and found James and Susanna playing a game of Pirate, a child-friendly version of the Pirate and Prisoner sex game he played with Lenora.

"You can't keep me here!" Susanna cried. "I'm gonna get out of here and kill your guts!"

"I don't think so!" James grinned. His daughter was loosely tied to a chair. "I think I'll just keep you there until I throw you to the sharks!" He grinned as he stroked her shoulder. "You look to be well-fed. They'll have a nice meal!"

"No!" Susanna shook her head, zapped off the restraints and ran at her father. "I'm gonna get yoooooou!" She tackled him and they both tumbled to the ground laughing.

Then they looked up and saw Henry and Margaret. "I was gonna ask if I could play too," Henry said. "Can I?"

"Of course," James replied, panting. "Just let me rest a minute." He let out a breath. "Wow, I'm a little out of shape. Hopefully I won't have to go on any big work trips soon so I have time to stay here and exercise."

"You're pretty!" Susanna said to her father and went to kiss him on the cheek.

"Ah, you're a good girl, Monster," James replied and took her in his arms. Henry and Margaret stood watching this display of affection uncomfortably until James remembered they were there.

"All right," he said, standing up. "Who's up for round two?"

"Me!" Henry and Susanna said at the same time. Rusty gave a bark. Then, James looked at Margaret. "Would you like to play with us, Maggie?"

"Sure," Margaret replied after a second or two. "Why not? Who will I be?"

"Well, who would you _like_ to be?" James asked.

"You should be the girl who gets kidnapped, so I can save you!" Henry suggested.

"No!" Margaret shook her head resolutely. "I don't wanna do that! I wanna help you save Susanna! Or why can't I save you?"

Henry thought about this and asked his father, "Did pirates catch other pirates?"

"Yes," James replied. "It would be right for her to save you. Let's pretend you got marooned."

"What's that?" Henry asked.

"You get stuck on an island by yourself," Margaret told him. "And that's where you die."

"Oh," Henry nodded. "I get it."

Then, James grabbed hold of him. "You are a disgrace to this ship and your crew! After all your misdeeds, there's only one thing we can do with you: Maroon you. You get one bottle of rum and one pistol." He turned to Susanna. "Get those, would you, first mate?"

"All right!" Susanna replied and came back with a cup of water, which occasionally sloshed all over the deck, and a long paper towel tube. "Here," she said.

"Now that you have these things, I will put you on an island far, far away, and you will never see another living soul," James menaced his son.

"I'm sorry!" Henry cried. "I'm sorry!"

"It's too late for apologies, lad!" James replied and took Henry to a closet and shut the door.

"Now, after ten minutes, you can go rescue him," James told Margaret. She waited the allotted time and then went to open the closet door. "Hello, there," she said. "Do you need to be saved?"

Henry nodded. "I've been abandoned on this island by pirates and if I don't get off it soon, I'll die!"

"Are you here by yourself?" Margaret asked. Just then, Rusty sidled into the closet next to Henry. "Yes," he said, petting the dog. "It's just been me and my dog here all by ourselves.

"I will rescue you!" Margaret proclaimed. She went and found a cardboard box that had been broken down and brought it to the closet. "I have a boat!" She said. "Get on and we can go away from here!"

Soon after Margaret and Henry escaped from the island, Lenora came out to the boat to tell them that dinner was ready.

"Are we all having fun in here?" Lenora asked. "I hate to interrupt it, but it's time to eat!"

"Food!" Henry cried and zipped out of the boat, while Susanna, James, and Margaret followed at a much slower pace.

"I rescued Henry after he got marooned by pirates!" Margaret told Lenora.

"Well," she laughed. "Did you decide that part of the game or did he?"

"I did!" Margaret replied.

"Well, good for you!" Lenora replied. "For saving my son, you get an extra helping of dessert. But don't tell Henry."

"Don't worry," Margaret grinned. "I won't."


	14. Doing Wrong When It's Right

A/N: there's a part of the chapter that might be an abuse trigger for some.

* * *

"Where did you get that?" Enid asked Klaus, snatching the diamond away from him. "We found it in my attic," he said. "And you obviously seem to know what it is."

"The Noir," Enid whispered. "I've been looking all over for this. But how did you get it? It was my mother's."

"My mother had it," Klaus replied. "Then somehow, it ended up in our attic amidst all the junk."

"How strange," Enid replied. "Can I keep this, since it's an old family heirloom and all?"

Klaus nodded. "I thought it would be the best place for it. Amy wanted to have it sent to the council."

"No!" Enid shook her head. "You must _never_ send it to the council. If you did that, there would be a chance of Hazel getting her mitts on it, and we don't want that, trust me. This is a very powerful object, and I'm the only one that can handle it responsibly." She paused and looked at Klaus with appreciation. "Thanks for bringing this," she said. "I'm glad I know that it even still exists. Where did you say it was?"

"In my attic," Klaus replied. "Do you want to keep it?"

"I-I don't know," she said. "But I definitely don't think it should be back at your house. Since you're connected with us, Hazel might think to look there. Can you think of somewhere else safe to put it?"

"Amy's sister Margot lives by us," Klaus replied. "I could ask her."

"Would you do that?" Enid asked him. "Could you ask her to keep it safe for me until the time is right for me to come get it?"

"Of course," Klaus replied, taking it back. "Not a problem."

Enid then gave him a drink for his trouble and he went on his way with the diamond firm in hand.

* * *

"I have something to ask you," Addie told Sam. "I-I was asked out by another guy and I wondered if that was okay with you. I mean, normally it wouldn't matter because I date whomever I want with no attachments, but now, I feel like I should ask you first."

Sam looked at her in shock for a moment or two before he nodded. "Sure," he said. "If you want to go out, you can go out."

"Really?" Addie asked. "Cause if you don't want me to, you can just say so."

"Why does my opinion matter?" Sam asked her. "It sounds like you don't want to go yourself, so just tell him that."

"Sure," Addie nodded. "You're right. But the thing is, the guy who asked me, he's not the type that handles the word 'No' easily. Come with me. Tell him you're my boyfriend."

"All right," Sam replied, pushing up his sleeves. "Let's go!"

They made their way in the direction of where Addie had left the boy, but he met them about halfway. "So," he said with a smirk. "Where are we going on our date?"

"I can't date you," Addie replied. "Sorry, I've got a boyfriend." She gestured at Sam. "This is him."

The stocky boy looked at Sam, who was slim and wiry, and burst out laughing. "HIm?" He replied. "Seriously? You're just making that up!" He grabbed her. "How is it that you go through every boy in this school and when it gets to be my turn, you, skip out on me?" He gripped her tighter and she let out a cry. "I don't think so," he whispered in her ear and then licked the lobe, restraining her hands behind her back and kissing her hard. Sam was about to go to her defense when she kicked her left foot right into his groin. He fell to the ground, moaning. Addie and Sam began to make their getaway, but were stopped by more boys who were presumably friends of the first one. "Where are you going?" One of them asked He got closer and closer to Sam, his knuckles cracking, his ruddy hands balling into fists. Then, to his surprise, Sam pulled his fist back and gave the guy a punch. He wasn't stunned for long, though, before he punched Sam back, and Addie as well. Eventually, the fight ended with the bigger boys turning tail and running, their faces covered in blood and bruises. Watching them go, Addie and Sam stood side by side, hands on their knees, panting.

"Well, that took longer than I'd have liked," Sam said. "I wonder why? Are their thick bodies less vulnerable to harm?"

"I don't know," Addie replied. "I just wanna go home."

"All right," Sam replied. "Let's."

As they were driving home, Addie noticed something strange. "My wounds aren't healing like yours are," she told Sam. "I wonder why that is. I'm a vampire just like you, so _shouldn't _they have healed by now? I've been lucky to not be seriously hurt much in my life, but things have always healed relatively quickly before." She gasped. "Maybe it's like what's wrong with Joey!" She exclaimed. "He hurt his foot when we were kids and it never healed properly. That was punishment for being brought back from the dead! What if the same thing is happening to me?"

"Could be," Sam told her. "If that's what's happening, it sucks!"

"Yeah," Roxie nodded. "I know, right?" She paused. "Could you drive to Enid's instead of heading to your dad's?" She asked. "Maybe Enid can help me."

"All right," Sam replied, changing direction to head toward the bar. "Why not?"

* * *

Enid was straightening the sheets after making her bed when she heard Addie calling her.

"Coming!" She called back and got down to the main room as fast as she could. "What's up?" She looked in dismay at Addie's injuries. "My god!" She cried. "What happened?"

"We got in a fight," Addie replied. "And that's what we came to talk to you about."

"Why?" Enid asked. "Do you need me to tell you not to get into fights?"

"Well, it was kind of unavoidable," Sam replied. "She would have skipped it if she could."

"And now I'm not healing!" Addie exclaimed. "Sam healed before we even got out of school, so why aren't I? I'm a vampire just like he is, and I thought it was part of the deal. Do you think Hazel is cursing me like she did with Joey's leg?"

Enid paused for a few seconds, then nodded. "Yep," she said. "That's exactly what's happening. I'll be sure to have a talk with her about that."

"You paused!" Addie cried. "Are you lying to me?"

"N-no, I'm not!" Enid shook her head rapidly. "I'm sure you'll be fine." She began hustling them out of the bar. "I can't talk right now. Have a good day!" She shut the door and then turned around to see her sister.

"So," Hazel asked with a smirk from a bar stool, crossing one leg over the other. "What was that about? What have you done that you're blaming me for?"

"Nothing," Enid replied. "And with what you did to Addie, you should be ashamed of yourself. It's bad enough you did it to her brother."

"I admit that I turned Joey into the cripple that he is now, but I was merely balancing things out," Hazel replied. "You brought him back to life, which is illegal, so I couldn't let him come back perfect, now could I?"

"You're cruel," Enid said to her sister, shaking her head. "Cruel and sick!"

"And yet," Hazel replied, "still the one Father chose to follow him over you or Ena. Why that was, I can think of several reasons. One being that you use magic irresponsibly and then feel the need to lie about it."

"I never use magic irresponsibly without a good reason!" Enid replied. "Sometimes, you have to break rules for the greater good! And Father _clearly_ doesn't mind any of the ways I've used my magic, cause he's never come down to talk to me about them."

"Hasn't the fact that I've shown up after every offense shown you something?" Hazel asked smugly.

"That proves_ nothing_!" Enid replied. "For all I know, you could be coming on your own and using Father as an excuse to cause trouble in ways he'd _never_ condone, while pretending you're in the right when you're not."

"I don't know what you did to that girl," Hazel told her sister. "But I'll find out. And what is that boy doing with her? He's supposed to be following Joey for me!"

"Maybe he's had a change of heart," Enid replied. "And has learned that working for you comes at much higher a price than other things in life, like love, that actually matter."

At this, Hazel shook out her long blonde hair, gave a haughty sniff, and disappeared.

* * *

"So sorry to hear about your misfortune, Anna," Elijah said to his sister as he ushered her into their house. "Are you having trouble living alone?"

"No," Anna shook her head. "Luckily for me, I'm used to it."

"And what do you need a husband for when you can corrupt my wife instead?" Elijah shot back.

"Oh, don't you blame me for this!" Anna yelled at her brother. "It was Selina's idea. She came to _me_!"

"That's right," Selina defended her friend. "And I thought you were letting this go! I talked to my uncle, he helped me see I was wrong, now I'm moving on, and so should you!"

"I was letting it go in regards to _you_," Elijah corrected. "But that doesn't mean I can't give my sister a piece of my mind. I have to say, I'm very disappointed in you two ladies."

Anna and Selina just looked at each other and smiled. "Did you hear that, Anna?" Selina said. "Elijah is disappointed in us. Whatever shall we do?" Then, they burst out laughing. Elijah didn't let this go on for very long before he snapped. "Are you two quite finished?"

"For now," Anna replied. "Now that I'm here, what are we gonna do first?"

"Oh, I'm sure we can think of some lovely things for the three of us to do together," Elijah replied. "That way, I can keep an eye on you." He went rummaging around in one of the closets and came back with a five hundred piece jigsaw puzzle of the Eiffel Tower, dumping the box's contents on to the floor. "It'll be fun putting this together," he grinned. "Don't you think?"

"No," Anna replied. "I was really hoping that we could do something that was actually fun."

"Well," Elijah replied. "I'm afraid your idea of fun is a bit different from mine."

"Oh, come on!" Anna said. "I was just talking about maybe going to a movie or something. What did _you_ think I wanted to do?"

"I think he was implying that we would probably drag him off to murder someone against his will," Selina interpreted.

"Oh, thanks!" Anna replied. "Elijah, you are my brother and I love you, but sometimes, you really _are_ an idiot!"

It was then that Selina backed away. This was clearly a family issue between Elijah and his sister and it would do her no good to take sides."

"Did you hear what my sister just said to me?" Elijah asked, turning to her.

"Yes," she replied, trying to remain stony-faced. "I heard it."

"Well, don't you think it was _wrong_ for my sister to speak to me that way?" Elijah pressed.

"I speak to that way when it's warranted," Selina replied. "Why can't she?"

"Cause she's my sister!" Elijah replied. "It's not her place!" He paused. "And come to think of it, it's not your place either!"

"Now listen," Selina replied. "I understand why you're upset at us about our little jaunt to the grave yard, and you have a right to your feelings. But we have the right to act like vampires if we want to, and you can't take that away from us, especially if we don't do it very often. Tell me, off the top of your head, when was the last time _before_ this that I killed someone. Can you?"

Elijah thought hard, but couldn't come up with an answer. "I don't know," he said finally.

"Exactly!" Selina replied. "It's because ever since I became involved with you, I've trained myself to watch my impulses and only act vampire-y if it was truly necessary because I respect your need for a 'no killing humans' life style. Apparently, though, that courtesy doesn't entitle me to some from you."

Elijah gave her a cold gaze, picked up Felix, who had just come into the room, and stalked off.

"So," Anna said once he was gone. "Wanna put the puzzle away and go see a movie? My treat!"

"Sure," Selina replied. "But you're the guest. If anyone will be compelling the ticket taker to let us in free, it will be me."

"You're so giving," Anna replied, grabbing her coat. And Selina grinned. "I know," she replied.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Peter asked Annaliese when she arrived at his hideout one day. "Don't you have a class or something?"

"No," Annaliese replied. "The teacher is sick, so they cancelled. And it was a nice day, so I thought I would come and visit."

"Who said you could?" Peter asked, frowning.

"You did the second you told me where this place was," Annaliese replied. "Why are you being such a jerk?"

"You don't get to decide when you come here," Peter replied, his voice sharp. "*I* decide when you come, and right now, I want you to go away!"

Annaliese ignored him however, and stepped farther into the hideout. Then, she noticed that there was a display of little trinkets in the main section of the room, and she gasped. "You stole these!" She said. "People have been losing their stuff all week and it's because of _you_! Give it all back!"

"No," Peter replied. "I don't think so. Now I have to ponder what I want to take from _you_!"

"Well, I don't care, whatever it is!" Annaliese replied as he pushed her out of the hideout. "Do your worst."

"All right," Peter sighed. "But you'll be sorry!"

* * *

The next day, Annaliese was surprised, while walking to one of her classes, to find Peter dressed up nicely and walking down the same hallway. "What are you doing?" She whispered.

"Just coming to class like anyone else," Peter replied. "Nothing wrong with that, is there?"

Annaliese scoffed. "You're gonna cause trouble!" She replied. "I know it!"

"You have such little faith in me," Peter replied. "That really hurts."

They reached Annaliese's classroom and he followed her in. "What are you doing!" Annaliese whispered.

"You'll see," Peter grinned and strode to the front of the room, clearing his throat and writing his name on the board.

"Hello, boys and girls," he said, sitting on the teacher's desk. "Your real teacher is still out today, so I'll be taking his place. we're going to have a pop quiz."

They groaning, the class took out pieces of paper and Peter wrote math problems on the board. Annaliese wrote the answers the best she could, and went time was up, Peter strode up to her, snatching the paper away. He looked at her answers and chuckled. Most of them were wrong and he put them on the board so that everyone could see.

Some of the students who were good at math, began chuckling at Annaliese's ineptitude. Then, more kids joined them until Annaliese felt like she was in a room of laughter. She got out from her chair, tried to contain her tears, and ran out of the room.

When class was over, Peter found her hiding out near the bathroom. "I hate you," she told him. "Leave me alone!"

"You brought this on yourself," he said. "I didn't want to hurt you, but I had to."

"_Sure_, you didn't want to hurt me!" Annaliese replied. "But it looked like you were having fun."

"'Fun' is not the word," Peter countered. "And once I've executed my plan for you, you'll see that what I'm doing is for the best. Really. Now, do you have another class, or do you want me to walk you back to your room?" He reached out for her hand, but Annaliese slapped it away. "No, thank you," she replied. "I can get to my room just fine by myself. Goodbye!"


	15. Sam's Serenade

"So," Sam asked Addie, "what are you doing after work? Anything? Since it's Friday night, I've got an idea or two."

"Actually," Addie replied, "We're having open mike night this evening, you know? People can read poetry, sing songs, do stand up, that sort of thing. And I was thinking of staying to watch."

"Really?" Sam asked. "Are you serious about open mike night? I have to run home and get my guitar!"

"You're a musician?" Addie asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Sam replied. "But not a really good one. I had a band for a bit, then issues popped up, including my relationship with our manager, and we broke up before we really had a chance to get off the ground."

"Sorry," Addie replied. "But maybe you'd do better as a solo act instead of with a group."

"Well, you'll just see tonight, won't you?" Sam told her. "Keep a seat warm for me?"

"Sure," Addie nodded. "See you then!"

Sam headed back to the boarding house and shut himself in his room, trying to get reacquainted with his guitar. Then, he heard a noise behind him. "Nice to see you with that again, brother," said a voice.

"Where have you been?" Sam asked without looking up. "Was I getting too boring for you, Joshua?" He _did_ look up then, and saw the smiling spirit of his much older brother standing before him.

"I didn't come here to nag," Joshua assured him. "To my surprise, you've been doing very well lately. And am I imagining things, or did you finally find a young lady you'd be interested in settling down with?"

"I thought about it," Sam replied. "But things with me and Addie might not work out after all."

"Oh, dear," Joshua's blue eyes looked crestfallen. "Tell me, what excuses are you making for yourself now? Cause this pattern that you have of jumping from woman to woman won't make you happy in the long run, Sam. And despite Father's own rogue-ish nature, he's managed to find someone. I'm sure you'll be able to as well."

"It's not that!" Sam cried, feeling defensive. "It's that Addie and I are sort of...related."

"What?" Joshua asked, pushing a strand of dark hair from his eyes. "How?"

Sam sighed. "She's one of Mom's granddaughters from her relationship with one of her other husbands. And we accuse_ Dad _of going from person to person."

Joshua sighed. "Well, even if things don't work out with Addie, I'm sure you'll find someone some day." He paused. "So, what inspired you to bring out your guitar again?"

Sam shrugged. "Addie said there was a talent show at the bar where she works, so I thought I'd play a song or two."

Joshua grinned. "What a good way to impress the young lady," he said. "I hope it works out for you."

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Me too. The good thing is, I still have a few hours to come up with the perfect song."

"Well, I'll leave you to that, then," Joshua told him. "Good luck!" Then he disappeared, leaving Sam alone with his guitar and his thoughts.

* * *

"Question!" Addie cried as she burst into Jake's house and Joey and Diana looked up at her.

"Nice to see you can knock," Joey replied dryly. "And how the hell did you find me? I thought this place would be a place of respite for me, away from you and everyone else."

"Don't be a jerk," Addie told him. "I just came because I have a question for you."

"All right," Joey replied. "Shoot."

Addie sighed. "You know how that foot injury you got doesn't heal in spite of you being a vampire?"

"Yeah," Joey nodded. "What about it?"

"I-I think the same sort of thing is starting to happen to me!" She said. "Do you think Hazel's put a spell on me? Maybe I should hide out here too."

"Relax!" Joey told his sister. "I was in danger from her because Aunt Enid brought me back to life after I was born dead. You don't have that same problem, so I don't think you have to worry."

"Uh-oh," Diana said. She was holding the paper and looking terrified.

"What is it?" Joey asked. He took the paper from her and felt as if he'd been socked in the gut. There was a headline on the front page that read _"Local Socialite Amelia Warren Found Dead."_

"Who's that?" Addie asked, looking over Diana's shoulder. "Someone we should know?"

"It's Grandma Selina's mother," Joey told her. "She was born a Lockwood. Maybe they've been drawn into the feud too. We should warn Grandma in case they decide to come after her, too."

"Yeah," Diana replied, grabbing her coat. "Let's do that!"

Joey looked at his sister. "Do you want to stay here or come with us?"

"I'll stay here," Addie replied. "You two go on and do your heroics by yourself."

"All right," Joey replied. "See you later! And be sure Uncle Jake sees that newspaper article when he gets back!"

* * *

Selina's eyes widened as she opened the door in response to Joey and Diana's knock and they charged into the house.

"Have you read your paper today?" Joey asked her. "Where is it?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "I never actually read the paper. I get my news from the internet. But the paper should be in Elijah's office. I'll go get it. What's in it that's so urgent?"

"Your mom was killed," Joey told her. "We think it was some sort of retaliation for what you did at the cemetery."

"My mom's dead?" Selina asked. "Oh, my god."

"We know it's a shock," Diana told her. "Do you need some Kleenex so you can cry?"

"No, thanks," Selina replied. "Frankly, I'm not as sad as I know I should be. My mother and I were never particularly close."

"So let me get this straight," Diana replied. "Your mother is dead and you're not sad about it. Did she try and kill you when you were a kid or something?"

"Not physically," Selina replied. "But in every other possible way. She tried to break my spirit and turn me into the person _she_ thought I should be, not the person I wanted to be. And when I decided to activate my werewolf gene, she basically disowned me. We've barely talked since then."

"Oh," Diana sucked in her breath. "Sorry."

"That's okay," Selina shrugged. "You didn't know."

Just then, Elijah came in and shut the door behind him. He saw the article the paper was turned to and put a hand on Selina's shoulder. "I was going to tell you about your mother," he said. "But it must've slipped my mind."

"It's all right," Selina reassured him. "I'll be able to deal. If we can get her body back, I'll probably have to talk to Jake about setting up a funeral. If I give her one of those, I'll end up the better person between the two of us."

"That's not what this should be about," Elijah chided her. "Your mother is dead."

"I know," Selina replied. "I saw her recently. I was civil. We ended things on an okay note, and that's good enough for me. If your father died, you'd feel the same. Admit it."

Elijah sighed. He knew she was right, but he'd never admit it. "I still think you should at least mourn for the relationship you _would have had_ if things had turned out differently," he said. "Haven't you ever thought of that?"

"We had a good relationship at one point," Selina replied. "I barely remember it, though. It ended just as I was starting to really be able to remember things. That was the year I nearly activated my werewolf gene and Mama's best friend died. That's what changed her, I think." She sighed. "All right. I'll never be able to mourn the person she was, but I'll feel bad for the person she could have been. It's the best I can do."

"Good," Elijah told her and kissed her head. "At least that's something."

"Are you worried people are gonna come after you too?" Diana asked. "Now that they've gotten your mother?"

"Probably," Selina nodded. "But I brought it on myself, so I'll deal with it, whatever happens."

Just then, the phone rang and Selina answered it. "Hello?" She said.

"Hi, Grandma!" Addie replied. "I just wanted to let you know that we're having a talent night at Enid's and Sam is gonna play. I really think he'd like it if you came."

"Well, thanks for telling me!" Selina replied. "I sure will be there. What time does it start?"

"They start letting people in at seven-thirty, and the show starts at eight," Addie replied. "Thanks for coming. I'm sure it'll be a nice surprise for Sam. Do you have his father's number?"

Giving Elijah a look, Selina gave Addie Damon's number and then hung up. Diana and Joey left soon after.

"Who was that?" Elijah asked once they were gone. "Your uncle calling about your mother's funeral arrangements?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "Addie calling to tell me that Sam's gonna be playing at Enid's tonight. I'm gonna go to support him. And since Damon's gonna be there too, I assume you want to come with me, even though you and I both know you'll hate it?"

"Yes," Elijah replied immediately. "What time do we leave?"

"The doors open at seven-thirty," Selina replied. "And it probably wouldn't be best for you to wear a suit. Wear a pair of your jeans instead."

"And I'll make sure to go outside and put dirt on them," he told her wryly. "And maybe some beer stains on a t-shirt. I know I'll fit in better that way."

"Ha ha," Selina replied flatly. "You're so funny." She tapped his bottom. "Go get dressed," he said. "And let me see what you're wearing before we leave so I can make sure it's appropriate."

"So pushy," Elijah replied, but went and changed into jeans and a t-shirt anyway. "This good enough?" He asked her. She looked it over. "Yes," she replied, noting his plain dark green shirt and jeans. "If you don't mind those possibly getting stained, it's perfect."

"Now how long is it until we leave?" Elijah asked.

"We still have a few hours yet," Selina replied. "So hold your horses. When it's time for us to go, I'll tell you."

"Wonderful," Elijah replied. "I can't wait."

* * *

"Are you gonna come with me to see Sam sing?" Damon asked Lucy.

"Why not?" Lucy asked. "I need a place to wear the new leather mini-skirt I bought."

Damon started. "You bought a _what?"_

"Don't look so shocked," Lucy replied. "I dress like that sometimes."

"Well, not often enough!" Damon replied. "Let me see it!"

Rolling her eyes, Lucy went to change into the outfit she planned on wearing to the club. When she appeared again in black hose, black stilettos, her mini skirt and a tight shirt with a pattern of multicolored diamonds on it, Damon's jaw dropped to the floor.

"So you agree that this is appropriate dress for a club?" Lucy grinned.

"Uh-huh," Damon nodded. "Sure." He took her in his arms and he kissed her. "You look so...hot," he said. "I won't be able to focus on Sam at all."

"All right," Lucy nodded. "I'll keep my coat on over my outfit."

"Really?" Damon asked. "You-you're okay with me paying attention to Sam?"

"Of course," Lucy nodded. "In this case, anyway. It's his night to perform and he deserves an audience."

"Maybe after he's done you could get up there and give us a dance?" Damon asked hopefully.

"Not there in front of everyone," Lucy replied. "But I wouldn't be against doing it for you in a more private setting." She grinned. Damon took her in his arms and backed her up against the wall, kissing her deeply as his hands sneaked under her sweater, unhooking her bra. "No," Lucy pulled away with a gasp as she felt his warm fingers on her breasts. "We can't do this now. We'll miss the show."

"Yeah," Damon nodded, his cheeks flushed. "The show, right. You do up your bra again and we'll leave before we completely forget why we're supposed to be going."

Lucy re-hooked her bra and they went to Damon's car. He sat in the driver's seat and she sat in the back, and they drove to Enid's in silence, parking the car and immediately heading in for a drink. They'd just put their empty glasses down when Lucy heard a voice behind her.

"Lucy? What are you doing here?" She turned, her eyes widening at the sight of her uncle dressed so casually. "Uncle Elijah?" She said in surprise. "I think I have the same question for you."

"He's here to chaperone," her mother replied. "He wants to keep a close eye on Damon and me."

"Oh, you don't have to worry," Damon chuckled and urged Lucy to stand up from the bar stool. "Why would I want to go after your wife when I came here with a woman who looks like this in my backseat?"

Elijah looked over Lucy's outfit and paled before he punched Damon in the face and the younger vampire fell to the ground. "What was that for?" Lucy asked her uncle.

"How could he get you to dress like that?" Elijah asked her. "How could he be so perverted?"

"_He_ didn't make me dress like this!" Lucy exclaimed. "It was my idea. I chose to!" She helped Damon up and held on to him. "What is the matter with you, Uncle Elijah?"

"He's had a bit more to drink than you," Selina replied, trying to hustle Elijah away. "Sorry. Nice to see you." They got away and Selina prayed the show would start before Elijah got the urge to start any more fights. "What the hell was that?" She asked Elijah angrily when they were far enough away from the other pair.

"Did you see how she was dressed?" Elijah gestured wildly. "I don't believe it. The things he must make her do!"

"She's more covered up than I am when I play Miss Stinson for you," Selina pointed out. "You're being hypocritical again. Lucy's not even your daughter!"

"You're right," Elijah replied. "Klaus would have ripped Damon's voice box out. I was much more merciful!"

"Just don't," Selina replied. "Let's have as nice an evening as we can and then after Sam's performed, we'll go home, okay?"

"All right," Elijah replied. "I'm sorry."

Luckily for Selina, Enid came out at that point to begin the talent competition.

"What a great crowd tonight!" She cried. "Who's ready to have some fun?"

The whole bar cheered.

"Wonderful," she said. "Let's get this party started with a very talented young woman named Rose Fischer playing piano. Give her a big hand, everyone!"

Rose Fischer and everyone following her went by in a blur until finally, Enid announced, "our next contestant is Sam Salvatore, playing guitar!" Selina let out a whistle and cheered for her son and much of the audience followed suit. Sam appeared soon after and sat down on a stool with his guitar. "Hey there, everyone," he said. "I'm gonna play a song for a special lady. I hope she knows who she is." He started strumming his guitar and singing Nickelback's 'Trying Not To Love You': "You call me, and I fall at your feet, how could anyone ask for more? And our time apart, like knives in my heart, how could anyone ask for more?" Addie had been in the kitchen cleaning dishes, but she was done just in time to come out for the last verse: "...That trying not to love you only went so far, trying not to need you, was tearing me apart. Now I see the silver lining, what we're fighting for, and if we just keep trying, we could be so much more. 'Cause trying not to love you, oh, yeah, trying not to love you, only makes me want you more." He finished the song and then noticed Addie watching him with tears in her eyes behind the curtain. He gestured for her to come out on the stage, and when she came out, he put an arm around her, and gave her a kiss on the cheek as she returned his embrace amidst the cheers of the audience, including his mother and father, who, for the first time in what seemed like forever, were paying attention only to him.

* * *

"Well, that didn't go as well as I'd hoped," Selina grouched at Elijah as they came through the door.

"I don't know why you expected better when Damon and I were gonna be in the same room," Elijah told her.

"I'm just saying that you could have tried," Selina told him. "You're older, you should be more mature. How is it that you can be that way most of the time, but when confronted with the idea of me and either Damon or Klaus in the same room, you turn into a jealous, whiny toddler?"

"I don't have to answer that," Elijah replied stiffly. Just then, the phone rang and he went to answer it with a testy "What do you want?"

"Daddy?" Laura asked from the other end of the line. "What's the matter? Are you okay?"

"Oh, Laura!" Elijah replied. "My dear, I apologize. I've just had a trying last few hours is all. Your mother dragged me to that talent night at Enid's so she could see Sam perform."

Selina heard this and cried back, "That's a lie! You were the one who insisted on coming!"

"What was that?" Laura asked. "I heard noise on your end.

"It was nothing," Elijah told her. "So, what's going on in your life?"

"I got my acceptance letter from one of the beauty schools I applied to," Laura told him. "I start in August, which is just going to work out perfectly."

"Well, that's wonderful!" Elijah told her. "Laura, I am so proud of you. What do you want for a reward? A new car?"

"No, I don't need anything like that," Laura replied. "But thank you, anyway."

"All right," Elijah nodded. "But when you _do_ need something, just know you can tell me, all right?"

"All right," Laura replied. "Thank you, Daddy. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, darling," Elijah replied. He turned off the phone and joined Selina in the living room. "It seems your children are full of accomplishments," he said. "Laura's been accepted to beauty school."

"That's great," Selina replied. "I'll have to call her myself later."

They stood in silence after that. Then Elijah said, "I'm gonna get out of these clothes and go to bed. Feel free to join me when you want."

"All right," Selina replied. "Don't wait up for me."

"Fine," Elijah replied. "I'll see you when I see you."


	16. When The Lights Go Out

"Addie?" Sam asked when he opened the door and saw her standing on the other side. "Everything okay-ooof!" She knocked him to the floor and began to kiss him. "Hey, hey, hey!" He said, making it seem as if he wanted her to back off him. "What is going on?"

"I-I don't want to talk right now," Addie replied between kisses. "Just go with this, please."

"All right," Sam nodded and took her to bed where they resumed kissing and Sam's jeans were unzipped in preparation for the sex he assumed would come next. When they finally caught a breath, Sam said, "Sorry we can't go any farther than this. Your mother would kill me."

"Actually my mother encouraged me to go farther. My biological one, anyway."

"What?" Sam asked.

"My parents are not my parents," Addie told him. "In fact, I'm not even a vampire. I'm a goddamn witch!"

"No, you're not!" Sam replied, kissing her hair. "You can have a bad day sometimes, but you're no witch."

"Yes, I am!" Addie nodded insistently. Everything else was just a spell Aunt Enid put on me. I'm freaking out, and I don't know what to do, and I'm sorry if I'm not in the mood for foreplay, but-" Sam kissed her again. "Okay, okay," he said, panting as he looked down at her and pulled her shirt up over her head, and her skirt down her hips. "Just relax," he said. "I'll fix everything."

"All-all right," she breathed. "Sure. Go ahead." Once she was undressed, he moved her to the living room carpet (cause what little sense of gentlemanly behavior he had in him would not let him have sex with her on a hard floor, no matter how eager both of them were), then he removed his shirt, got to his knees, and leaned down to kiss her, while she reached up to run her hands over his abs.

He smiled and took one of her hands, kissing her fingers and she laughed, even if it was brief. "Have you ever done this before?" He whispered.

"You mean sex?" Addie asked. "Yeah. Lots of times." She paused. "You're not offended by that, are you?"

"No," Sam replied. "I'm sure my history is even more illustrious than yours. I just...I didn't want to overdo it if you weren't prepared."

"Well, thanks," she smiled and kissed_ him_ this time, and he felt warmth inside him as her tongue slipped between his lips, her fingers threading through his hair. Then, he fell forward on top of her (she'd been sitting up while they were kissing) and left all caution to the wind, entering her with his tongue in a very thorough way, and when she moaned his name, it was different than usual, not just the sense of another conquest, but pleasure that he was genuinely making her happy, which was a new sensation for him. He kissed the inside of her thighs, then paused a moment before he pushed into her, which caused her to let out a yell, and, to his surprise, plunge the room into darkness at the same time.

"Are-are you all right, Addie?" He asked, feeling dazed. She sat up and put her arms around him. "What the hell just happened?"

"I don't know," Sam replied. Grateful that he hadn't taken his pants off, he zipped them up and went to the window, seeing that his neighbor's lights were still on. "Well, that's weird," he told Addie. "We seem to be the only ones without power. Let me get a flashlight."

"All right," Addie nodded. "But be careful."

Thankful his father was out so he wouldn't have to explain the embarrassing situation, Sam went to the kitchen and rifled around in all the drawers for a flashlight. He finally found one and turned it on, thinking to himself that even a tiny amount of light was better than none at all.

When he made his way back to Addie, she'd covered herself with a blanket and was sitting on the sofa. "Thanks," she said when he came to sit beside her.

"For what?" Sam asked. "The sex? Cause I didn't plan on this happening, honestly."

"Well, yeah," Addie nodded. "And this is okay. Not just the sex, but the song too. It's the first time someone's done that for me. It was beautiful, so thank you."

"You're welcome," Sam replied. "I'm glad you liked it and weren't horribly embarrassed by having some nutty guy with a guitar tell a bar full of people that he loves you."

"Why would that embarrass me?" Addie asked. "It's nice to know someone does." They sat talking until the clock chimed the hour and Addie shined the flashlight on it. "I gotta go!" She cried. "It's almost my curfew. I'm gonna be late! She dressed quickly and gave Sam a fleeting kiss. "This was fun," she said. "We should do it again sometime."

"Yeah, we should," Sam called after her retreating back. "Just let me know when!"

* * *

"You know," Vince told Roxie, "I think you and I deserve a break."

"You mean like a vacation?" Roxie asked. "It's been awhile since we've had one of those."

"So where should we go?" Vince asked. "You pick."

"No, you should," Roxie told him. "You always let me and this time, I think you should."

"All right," Vince nodded with a grin. "Let me think."

Just then, Addie strode in. She was about a half-hour late.

"Young lady," Vince said, coming to meet her. "Why didn't you call?"

"I-I'm sorry, Daddy!" She said, bursting into tears and hugging him. "I'll try to be on time from now on. I love you!" She then ran off and Vince gave Roxie a look. "What the hell was that about?" He asked. "Do you think she did something bad? What if one of those boyfriends of hers finally got her pregnant?"

"I hope that didn't happen," Roxie replied. "I think that if it was that, she'd try to be more sneaky, though. I'll talk to her. Maybe she'll tell me more than she told you."

Vince nodded and Roxie went up to Addie's room, knocking on the door. "Hon?" She called. "It's your mother. May I come in?"

"Yes," Addie replied, her voice still sniffly. "Sure, why not?"

Roxie went inside and went to sit beside Addie on her bed, putting her arms around her. "What's the matter?" She asked. "Are you okay?"

"No," Addie shook her head. "Not really. I'm really, really confused about everything now."

"Well, that's reasonable for someone your age," Roxie replied. "You'll get it all sorted out eventually."

"It'll take awhile," Addie replied. "I just had a big shock!"

"What sort of shock?" Roxie asked. "You've started your period already, you know about sex...are you pregnant? I said to your dad that you might be."

"No," Addie wiped her nose with her hand. "It's not that. Sam and I have been careful. And he can't get me pregnant anyway."

"Sam?" Roxie asked. "How could you be having sex with Sam? I told you it was a bad idea. You're related for god's sake!"

"No," Addie shook her head. "We're not. That's the big shock I just had!"

"Of course you and Sam are related!" Roxie replied. "You're both descended from my mother."

"Apparently not," Addie replied. "If Aunt Enid was telling the truth, that is. She said...she said that Joey and I are really the kids of her and her boyfriend, and she just had you have us so she wouldn't lose either of us to Hazel. She said I'm a witch, Mom."

"No," Roxie replied firmly. "No, you're not! I don't know where she'd get off telling you things like that that are just complete lies!"

"Well, it might not be a _complete_ lie," Addie replied. "When Sam and I were together, things got really intense, and then the light-bulbs sort of...exploded, and the power went out, but his next door neighbors still had their lights working."

"And you think the lights went out because you're magical," Roxie told her flatly.

"Yeah," Addie replied. "I think so!"

Rolling her eyes, Roxie got up from Addie's bed and strode out of the room.

"Are you all right?" Vince asked as he saw the look on Roxie's face. "What happened with Addie?"

"Come along with me to Enid's," Roxie replied. "Then you'll see."

"All right," Vince replied. "But just for my own peace of mind, Addie's not pregnant, is she?"

"No," Roxie shook her head. "It's worse than that."

Vince's eyes widened, but he grabbed his coat anyway and followed Roxie to her car.

* * *

"They're beautiful children," Owen told Enid as they watched video of her teaching baby Joey and baby Addie how to walk. "You were lucky to be able to spend so much time with them."

"Yeah, I was," Enid replied. "And I wish you could have been there with me. If I would have told you about them, would you have come?"

"Well, yes!" Owen nodded. "Of course. But at the same time, as I've always told you, I understand why you couldn't have me here for too long. I wasn't ready to fight back then, but now I am. It took me seeing my children to realize how important fighting Hazel is, even if things don't turn out well for us. At least I can say we tried." He laughed gently as Addie took a few unstable steps and fell on her face, bursting into tears, as Enid took hold of her. "Poor girl," he said. "But she seems to have grown up reasonably well."

"Yeah," Enid nodded. "She's a good girl." She paused. "What do you mean by _reasonably well_?" She asked, feeling offended.

"Well, you have to realize that if you and I had raised them together, Addie wouldn't be the way she is now," Owen replied.

"Let me guess: you'd have her be conventional," Enid said. "Wearing dresses and getting A's in school, using her magic sparingly so that the human population wouldn't pick up on it. That's not necessary. We're not in the burning times anymore."

But before Owen could reply, there was a sharp knock at the door, followed by a loud yell. "Enid!" Roxie cried. "I know you're in there. We have to talk. Addie said you've been talking to her about things and I want to know where you get off telling her lies about herself!"

Enid was about to go answer the door when it burst open and Roxie strode in, with Vince following behind her. Before Enid could move, Roxie grabbed her by the throat. Enid choked for a few seconds, and then Roxie dropped her as pain shot through the hybrid's head.

Enid stood up, massaging her throat as she looked down at the writhing woman. She then ended the spell and ordered Vince to help Roxie up. "We can talk about this like calm, civil people can't we?" She asked, eying Vince.

"Yes," Vince nodded, urging Roxie to a chair. "Of course."

"Are these two the people who've raised our children?" Owen asked Enid.

"Yes," Enid replied. "Roxie, Vince, this is Owen, the love of my life and the father of my children."

"Shut up!" Roxie yelled. "They aren't yours!"

"Yes, they are," Enid replied. "And I'm sorry I didn't tell you from the first. The potion I gave Vince before you got pregnant, Roxie, was not the typical potion I give people. It had Owen's sperm and my eggs in it, and after it was ingested, and the two of you had sex, _it_ is what got you pregnant. Sort of a magical surrogacy situation. I later put spells on the kids to make their magical powers dormant and make them the same species as you instead, until it was time for Owen to come back, and by that point, the spells on them would start to wear off. Of course, what happened to Joey at his birth was an unforeseen complication, but it seems to be working itself out nicely."

"You _bitch!"_ Roxie yelled. "You've been lying to us all these years!"

"If I'd told you the truth, you wouldn't have wanted to take my kids in, would you?" Enid asked.

"Maybe we would have!" Roxie replied. "But you didn't trust us enough to ask!"

"I'm sorry," Enid apologized. "Really. I only did what I did to save my children from being hurt by my sister. You've done that for Joey all these years. Can't you understand why I did what I did?"

"Yes," Vince said quietly, after a moment. "We understand. And thank you for trusting us with your children."

"You're welcome," Enid replied.

"They're still more ours then anything," Roxie told her. "You don't just get to keep them!"

"However," Vince replied. "We were thinking of going on a vacation, the first one we've had in months. While we're gone, you wouldn't mind checking up on them occasionally, would you?"

"Of course," Owen replied, shaking Vince's hand. "We'd be honored."

* * *

"It's your mother's funeral today," Elijah reminded Selina when he found her undressed in bed. "How come you're not dressed yet?" He straightened his red tie, which was in contrast to his black suit.

"Why should I have to go?" Selina replied. "She doesn't _deserve_ to have me mourn her!"

"What about your father?" Elijah asked. "You love him, don't you? I'm sure he'd love to have your support."

Selina sighed and sat up, getting out of bed to rifle around in her closet. "Fine," she said. "I'll come. But for Daddy, only. Not for my mother."

"All right," Elijah replied. "Whatever will get you dressed!"

She pulled out a black dress and started removing her pajamas, pausing when she noticed Elijah was watching her intently. "May I help you?" She asked. "Is there any special reason why you're watching me? I wouldn't have thought you had it in you to be horny right before my mother's funeral!"

"It's not that!" Elijah replied, blushing a brilliant shade of scarlet. "I just want to make sure that you do what you said you were gonna do, and won't just crawl back into bed the moment my back is turned."

"Oh, all right," Selina sighed. "I guess I deserve that." She grabbed a new pair of underwear and a bra and went into the bathroom to change them before slipping on her dress, hose, and a pair of shoes. "It would just give me such a chuckle to go barelegged to my mother's funeral," she said. "But it's a little chilly today, unfortunately, so I can't." Then she twirled. "Do I look all right?" She asked. "Or should I change before I go put my hair up?"

"No, that's appropriate," Elijah replied, eying her dress, which was dark purple with a silver thread around the waist. "You look very nice."

"Well, thank you," Selina replied.

"I don't need to zip you up or anything, do I?" Elijah asked.

"No," Selina replied, and showed him the back of the dress. "It just slips on, but thank you for offering."

"You're welcome," Elijah replied. "Let's go."

They then got in the car and drove to Selina's father's house where he was hosting the small group of people who had reason to mourn Amelia's passing. Because she was murdered, the police still had her body (what interesting surprises they would find!), so her service was more a remembrance of her life than a literal funeral. When her father opened the door to Selina and Elijah's knock, she could barely gather her breath to say 'Hi' before her father took her into his arms and gave her a hug. He'd clearly been crying and was making no effort to hide it. He shook Elijah's hand with the hand he had free, then led the pair of them into the house.

"It was a very sudden thing, what happened to Amelia," he said as he collapsed into a chair and Selina put a hand on his shoulder. "We hadn't gotten along for awhile, but I wouldn't wish anything like this on her." He took Selina's hand. "Thanks for coming, in spite of the difficulties you and your mother had with each other. I can't help but think things would have been better between you two if I'd been around."

"Probably," Selina replied. "But it's no use worrying about it now, when you can't change it." She paused. "Are you at all worried about what the police are gonna say if they examine Mama's body?"

"I thought about that," Matthew replied. "I don't think we'll have anything to worry about, but if it would make you more comfortable, we can steal her body and bury it here privately."

"If you decide to do that, she won't be helping," Eliah told Matthew firmly. "It's a need Selina had to root around in graves that got her mother murdered in the first place. We don't want to encourage it."

"What?" Matthew asked.

"I-I might have done something that led to Mama being killed," Selina confessed. "But when I did it, I had no idea they would go after Mama afterward. It's a werewolf feud, Daddy. They got Uncle Jake killed way back when, so to avenge him, I defiled some of the family members' graves, and..."

"Selina Elizabeth Amelia Warren!" Matthew interrupted in shock. "Why would you do something like that?"

"I told you!" Selina replied. "Vengeance!"

"Oh, good lord!" Matthew put a hand on his forehead. "From now on, you're staying out of this," he told her finally. "You've done enough damage already."

"All right," Selina sighed. "I'm sorry, Daddy. Do you want me to go home?"

"Yeah," Matthew nodded. "Maybe you'd better. But thanks for making the effort to come in the first place."

"You're welcome," Selina replied, feeling full of shame. She gave her father a quick kiss and she and Elijah headed back to his car.


	17. Hiding Out

"All right," Selina said when she and Elijah were settled in their bedroom after getting back from her father's. "If you want, you can yell at me too."

Elijah sighed. "I know I should," he said. "If it was anyone other than you, I_ would _be yelling, but I think you've made me soft. Cause when I look at you now, and you're staring back with those big, sad blue eyes of yours, I don't want to yell."

"You don't?" Selina asked. "Why not?"

Elijah came to sit next to her and take her in his arms. "Cause I can tell you're full of enough shame already without me adding to it. Am I correct?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded, laying her head on his shoulder. "You're correct."

He put his fingers under her chin so she was looking into his eyes and then he kissed her.

"That was nice," she breathed. "Would you do it again?"

"Yes," Elijah grinned. "As often as you'd like."

"Like right now?" Selina asked, looking hopeful. Elijah just laughed and kissed her again before taking her to bed and getting out of his clothes while she watched him intently.

"What a great view," she whispered when he came back to bed and undressed her.

"You think so?" He replied and nibbled on her ear. "You're welcome, then." He eased her back oto the mattress, his hands running down her body before she felt one slip between her thighs. As she peered up at him, she saw he was grinning at her wickedly. She let out a squeak and grinned. "Wow," she said. "I didn't think you'd wanna do this today," and then breathed. "I would have thought you'd tell me I should spend the day grieving."

She let out a moan and he kissed her. "Well, as you pointed out," he said, "you really have no reason to grieve for your mother anyway, so why should I make you when we could devote our time to more pleasant things?"

"Exactly!" She replied, eyes wide. "That's the speech I was gonna give _you_!"

He just smiled and kissed her, his fingers threading through her dark hair. Then, he stroked her breasts before pushing into her, her arms digging into his back hard enough to draw a small amound of blood.

After they, panting with exhaustion, pulled apart from each other, they lie with their hands entwined until they finally found the strength to sit up.

"Do you have to meet your father today?" Selina asked him. "Or are you all mine?"

"I told him that I had to support you today," Elijah told her. "He scoffed, of course, but nothing more than that."

"Good," Selina replied. "So what do you want to do for the rest of the day?"

Elijah gave her a look, then his gaze shifted to the bed.

"What a question for me to ask!" Selina replied. "We can stay in here at least until the kids get home. I'm up for it if you are."

And Elijah nodded, taking her chin in his hand. "Of course I am," he replied. "It was _my_ idea."

* * *

"Okay, you two," Selina told Margaret and Henry as she ushered them into the house. "Homework first, remember. Then you can watch TV or something, whatever you like." Then she looked at Henry. "Sorry your father is having issues again, but we're glad to have you here."

"Thanks," Henry nodded. "Yeah, Daddy is upset that Jonathan Putnam was released for good this time."

"Who's he?" Margaret asked.

"A _criminal_, remember?" Henry rolled his eyes, tapping Margaret gently on the forehead "I told you before!"

"You did, didn't you?" Margaret said, realizing it. She paused. "Do you think it's weird that Emily wanted to have Tristan at her house instead of coming here with us?"

"Why?" Henry asked. "Are you upset about that?"

"No," Margaret replied. "I just think it's weird cause she used to come home with us all the time."

"Well, maybe making friends with Tristan made her feel better so that she doesn't need us as much anymore," Henry hypothesized.

"Well, that's good," Margaret replied. "Then it's just you and me again."

At that point, Felix the cat came slinking in. "Hi, cat!" Henry said, leaning down to pet him. The cat hissed and gave Henry a scratch, which led him to pull his hand back and swear.

"Are you okay?" Margaret asked in surprise, and when Felix tried to cuddle up against her, she shooed him away. "Bad cat!" She scolded. "You hurt Henry, so no cuddling for you!"

Felix eyed Henry resentfully, then ate some of his cat food before spitting up a hairball and slinking off.

"We should probably get to work," Margaret replied and sat down, pulling her homework out of her bag. "We don't have too much to do. We'll get it done fast."

"I have to do one thing first," Henry replied and made the hairball disappear. Then, he got out his books, paper, and pencils, and sat down next to Margaret, beginning to write out the letters A, B, and C.

"Do you need help?" Margaret asked.

"No," Henry replied. "Thank you. I'm fine. Considering that my daddy couldn't write at my age, I'm doing pretty good."

Margaret peered at what he was writing. His letters were a little crooked, but she could at least tell what they were. Resisting her impulse to correct him, she just smiled. "Good job," she praised him.

"Thank you," Henry replied, surprised, as being corrected had been what he'd been waiting for. Finally, they finished a page each of the three letters, as well as a math worksheet, and then Henry stood up, zapping his and Margaret's papers into their bags. "We need a break now," he said and went into the kitchen, magicking them both an ice cream sundae. He gave Margaret extra cherries and then they sat down to eat them just in time for Tristan and Emily to come striding in.

"Sundaes!" Emily exclaimed, seeing them. "Can I have one?"

"Sure!" Henry replied. "Let me get the stuff out again." He went back to the kitchen and got all the materials out, quickly making a sundae for Emily with his magic. "That is so cool!" She said as she watched, her eyes wide. He handed it to her when it was finished and then looked at Tristan. "You want one too?"

"I think I can make it myself," Tristan replied. When Emily reached the table, Margaret looked at her severely. "You didn't tell your daddy that Henry can do magic, right?"

"No!" Emily shook her head and looked fondly at Henry. "It's our secret."

"And you better not!" Margaret continued. "Otherwise, they'll burn him at the stake and it'll be all your fault!"

"They won't do that now," Henry assured her. "They did when my daddy was little, but now they'd probably just think that whoever told was crazy."

"I promise I won't tell," Emily assured Margaret. "I swear." Then she lapsed into silence as Tristan came in with his sundae and didn't speak again until it was all gone.

* * *

A week or so later, Elijah had to spend the day with his father, which was good for Selina cause she had a surprise in mind for him. Once he'd left, she called a high-end catering service and hired them to come set out a meal for her and Elijah as a surprise. They told her they were free to come a couple of days later, and she made plans, hanging up and feeling extremely pleased with herself.

The night the caterers were to come, she said, "wear one of your really nice suits for dinner, okay? I mean, not that that would be atypical for you, but..."

"Is something going on?" Elijah asked her, eyebrow raised. "Normally you encourage me to dress _down_."

"You'll find out tonight," Selina winked. "Be in your tux by eight. And I'm sending the kids out so we'll have the house to ourselves tonight."

Curious, Elijah tried to get more information out of her, but surprisingly, she wouldn't budge. Finally, he gave up for the time being and went to his office.

By eight, though, he went to change into his tux as Selina had asked, and from the bedroom he could hear people talking outside, Selina's voice mixed with theirs. Hers was the only one he recognized, but just as he was about to go out and see who was in his house, Selina came into the room. She was wearing a black and silver sleeveless cocktail dress and her hair was up.

"Wow," he said, feeling floored. "You look wonderful."

"Well, thank you," Selina replied and straightened his bow tie. "And same to you!"

"Listen," he said. "I hear people outside. Should I be worried about the valuables?"

"No," Selina replied. "It's part of your surprise. Everything is ready now, but you have to keep your eyes shut until I say."

"All right," Elijah replied. He closed his eyes and let her lead him to the dining room where the catering staff had set up a table for two. She helped him into his chair and sat down across from him. "Okay," she said eagerly as a waiter came with a glass of wine for him. "Open your eyes!"

Elijah opened his eyes and gasped. The dining room was dimly lit and he was very surprised to see the catering staff scurrying in and out of the kitchen. "These people," he said in amazement. "They are...?"

"Caterers," Selina replied. "I really didn't feel like cooking today and thought it would be fun to do something a bit different."

"Well, I'm stunned," Elijah replied. "I thought you didn't believe in having people serve you anymore."

Selina grinned. "I decided to make an exception just this once. Do you like your surprise? I forgot what we're having for a main course, but dessert are these cherry cheesecake tarts that are supposed to be wonderful!"

Elijah grinned and leaned forward to kiss her. "Leave it to you to forget dinner but still remember dessert," he told her fondly. "And yes, I _love_ my surprise. Very much. Thank you, darling."

Selina picked up her wineglass and toasted him as the main caterer came out to explain the menu for the night (which turned out to be veal), and took a sip before nodded. "You're very welcome," she replied, straightening the wrinkles from her skirt, even though she knew it would be even _more_ wrinkled after Elijah ripped it off her later that night and it landed at the foot of the bed.

* * *

"I have a question," Laura asked Edward as she ate her third bowl of Lucky Charms. "Would you do me a favor?"

Edward winced at the piece of cereal that was stuck to the side of her mouth and gestured at her to wipe it off. Once she had, and he was feeling much less disgusted, he nodded. "Of course," he replied. "Anything."

"I was just wondering how long it had been since you'd gotten a haircut," Laura replied, coming to run her fingers through his fluffy brown hair. "If you needed a trim, I could do it for you."

"No, thanks," Edward replied. "I have someone already. You don't need to trouble yourself."

"Oh, come on!" Laura cried. "If I'm gonna be a hair stylist, I have to practice on someone. And you're my husband, so _please_?"

"There was nothing in our marriage vows about me allowing you to give me potentially disastrous haircuts!" Edward countered. "Once you've gone to beauty school and are licensed, then yes, you may get at my hair all you like, but for now, no touching!"

Just then, he saw Laura's lip jut out and she started to cry. "You don't trust me!" She sobbed. "You don't want me to have a career and be successful either! You just want me to stay home with the kid and that's all!" She stomped off and when he tried to follow, punched him in the jaw.

"I don't think that was called for!" He yelled.

"Bite me!" She yelled back.

"Okay, I'm sorry!" He called. "I'll let you cut my hair."

"Too late!" Laura replied. "You missed your chance, Mr. Meanie Man!" He then remembered the half-eaten bowl of cereal she'd left on the table. Figuring she wouldn't come back for it, he went to dump it in the sink and wipe off the counter.

* * *

The ride to school was spent in uncomfortable silence, and then when Edward parked the car in the parking lot, Laura bounded ahead of him. He started to try and catch up with her, but then decided he'd better not. He let her go, and then went to meet her at her locker.

"I repeat," he said. "I'll let you cut my hair."

"You don't mean that," she said. "You're just saying it so I won't be mad at you anymore. How stupid do you think I am?"

"I don't think you're stupid at all," Edward replied. "I just...I'm sorry, all right? You caught me off guard."

"What you mean is that I didn't give you time to come up with a good excuse," Laura replied.

Edward rolled his eyes, following Laura to her first class. "Do you really want to fight about this all day?" He asked.

"Maybe not," Laura replied, clinging to the door frame. "Let me have my space for the rest of the day and I'll think about it." She then went into the room, leaving Edward no choice but to head to accounting.

* * *

When Laura saw Edward after her last class of the day, she sighed. "Hey," he said. "Do you need me to give you a ride home, or did you get Addie to take you?"

"No," Laura shook her head. "I tried, but Addie is having issues right now and said she wouldn't be the best company. Apparently, it's something to do with Enid and her boyfriend, but I don't know what it could possibly be, since the pair of them seem so happy."

Just then, Addie came by. "I changed my mind," she said. "If you want me to drive you home, I will," she said.

"Oh, you don't have to!" Laura replied. "Not if you're having problems."

"I could really use a friend," Addie replied, then looked appealingly at Edward. "Mind if I steal your wife for awhile?"

"Go ahead," Edward replied. "If it's all right with her."

"All right," Laura replied, feeling a little let down. "Let's go, Addie. See you at home tonight, Edward."

They then headed to Addie's car and got inside. "So, what's going on?" Laura asked. "Are you okay? You've seemed a little off these past few days."

"Well, you would too if you found out you were basically adopted and your whole life was a lie," Addie replied.

"What?" Laura replied. "What do you mean?"

"Apparently, Joey and I are _Enid's_ kids!" Addie burst out. "Can you believe that?"

"What?" Laura asked, eyes wide. "You're kidding me!"

"No!" Addie replied with a vigorous shake of the head. "She really told me. Just blurted it out one day."

"So you're what? A witch? A vampire? A werewolf? All of them?" Laura wondered aloud.

"Just a witch," Addie replied. "I think."

"And Enid's boyfriend's your dad?" Laura continued. "Can I say that you've got a very hot dad?"

"I know, right?" Addie replied. "I had a crush on him when I first saw him, but this news ruins everything!" She paused. "I think I'll be able to handle it as long as I only see them in small doses and not all the time. I can do that. The only time I see them is at work, anyway."

It was then that Laura realized they hadn't yet moved from the nearly empty parking lot. "Sorry for breaking into your rant," she said. "But the parking lot's almost empty. Wanna put the pedal to the metal there, Addie?"

"Oh," Addie looked out the window and turned the car on. "Right," she said. "Sorry."

* * *

"What do you mean you and Daddy are going on vacation?" Addie cried after she got back from dropping off Laura, found her mother packing, and asked why."You can't go now! Not after what just happened!"

Roxie looked up from pairing up her socks and putting them in the suitcase. "That's sweet, hon. You've never expressed this desire to have us around before. Normally, you'd be shoving us out the door and plotting your next big party by now."

"I was wrong to do that!" Addie replied. "I appreciate you more now. Don't leave me with Aunt Enid and that guy!"

"You never know," Roxie replied. "You might like him. Give him a chance."

"But what should I say to Aunt Enid, though?" Addie asked.

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to," Roxie replied. "But the deal is that your dad and I are going on our vacation and Enid and her boyfriend are gonna check on you every once in awhile, along with Joey if he happens to stop by, of course."

"I think I'm gonna stay with Sam," Addie declared. "He has enough room at his house."

"And where is it that he lives again?" Roxie asked. "Considering how late you were before, it has to be a distance from here. And I don't want you missing school. You can visit him, of course, but no staying over night."

"Fine," Addie huffed. "Whatever, Mom."

"Where are you going?" Roxie called after her.

"I think you know where!" Addie called back. "But I'll give you three guesses."

"What was that about?" Vince asked as he came into the room.

"She's mad about the vacation," Roxie replied. "Claims we're abandoning her in her hour of need. But I think this'll be good for us. And it'll be good for her to get to know...her birth parents."

Vince watched her, thinking she was going to cry, but she straightened up determinedly instead. "Have you started packing?" She asked.

"I was just about to," Vince replied. He peered at her pile of clothes. "Want me to get the suitcase?"

"Yeah," Roxie nodded. "Sure."

* * *

"Addie!" Sam exclaimed in surprise. "You're back!"

"I don't know why you're always so surprised to see me every time I come over," Addie told him as she came into the boarding house, a bag over her shoulder. "Should I be worried or offended?"

"No!" Sam shook his head. "No, you shouldn't. What's with the bag?"

Addie sighed. "My parents are going out of town for a bit and instead of staying at the house by myself, I thought I would come here. Is that a problem?"

"That depends," Sam replied. Addie's face fell. "On what?" She asked.

"Well, are you gonna blow out the electricity again?" Sam asked, one corner of his mouth up.

"I'll try not to," Addie replied, flushing. Sam took her bag and led her upstairs to his room. "You want the right side of the bed or the left? What spot on the bed do you like?"

Addie grinned. "Wherever I end up from being tired out after having sex all night is the best spot on the bed for me!"

This made Sam laugh out loud. "Very upfront about what you want," he said appreciatively. "I like that in a woman."

"Good," Addie smirked. "Cause it happens a lot." She then sauntered over and kissed him. He resisted out of surprise at first, but then relaxed into it, unzipping his pants and then helping her out of her panties before picking her up and anchoring her against the wall. Every so often, they would stop kissing so they could get a breath, but then they would go right back to it, and didn't completely stop until they heard a dry voice behind them.

"Not one for subtlety, are you, Sam?" Stefan asked, with Felicity looking on in shock behind him.

"You're one to talk," Sam replied without turning. "Do you mind? Or did we take your usual spot for doing stuff like this?" Stefan heard that, crossed his arms and smirked.

"And Addie, I can't believe you're doing that with him!" Felicity added, more in a tone of shock than judgment. "You're related!"

"No we're not," Addie replied. "I'm a witch, actually. So I can do this!" She tried to make them disappear, or turn into frogs are something, but she aimed wrong and just ended up making a hole in the opposite wall.

"You can make a hole in a wall?" Stefan replied. "Impressive. But just so you know, I can too, if I punch it hard enough."

"Whatever," Sam replied shortly. "This isn't a show so why don't the two of you go on your merry way and find your own atypical place to have sex with each other?"

"Fine," Stefan replied. "Just make sure the roof is still on when you're done, all right?"

"Very funny," Sam replied as the pair of them walked away. Then he lowered Addie to a standing position on the floor and gave her back her panties before zipping up. "That was fun," she said wryly. "Do you think we'll have to do it often?"

"With those two around?" Sam replied, dryly. "Sadly yes."


	18. An End To The Argument

"Roxie!" Selina said in surprise as she opened the door to her oldest daughter. Then she noticed she seemed kind of tense. "Come in!" She urged. "What's the matter?"

Roxie huffed and sat down. "I-I have something that I was planning on talking to Daddy about, but since he's not home, I'm here to talk to you. It's about Addie. And Joey too."

"Well, my next question was gonna be 'Is Addie pregnant', but sticking Joey in there ended *that* line of questioning," Selina said, coming to sit next to her. "So what's the problem?"

"You're not gonna believe it," Roxie replied. "I'm having trouble believing it myself, still. Enid told me just recently that Addie and Joey aren't my kids. That they're hers instead and she tricked us into having them."

"You know what?" Selina asked, pushing some of Roxie's hair out of her eyes. "I think-" then she paused. "Do you want my opinion, or are you just venting?"

"Whatever," Roxie replied. "You can keep talking if you want."

"All right then," Selina continued. "I think you're looking at this the wrong way. You were the one who gave birth to those kids. You took care of them all of their lives. They call you 'Mom' and 'Dad', they belong to you and Vince, all right? I mean, Addie and Joey haven't expressed a desire to call Enid 'Mom', have they?"

"No," Roxie shook her head and leaned against her mother. "Not yet. And they might not ever go beyond 'Aunt Enid'."

"There you go," Selina replied. "Just keep thinking of it that way, and I hope it'll get you through."

"Thanks," Roxie replied. "It was _not_ fun for this to happen right before Vince and I went on our vacation. It's all I'll think about."

"Well, have you tried talking to your dad?" Selina asked. "Maybe he can give you some insight I can't."

"I've tried," Roxie replied. "But he doesn't seem to be home. Maybe I'll ask Vince to delay the trip until Daddy and I can have our chat. That shouldn't be hard. I'll just tell Vince I won't be good company until I talk to Dad."

"Now don't be too rough on him," Selina chided her. "He's a good guy."

"Mom, if he's stuck with me up until now, I think he won't go anywhere, no matter what I do," Roxie pointed out.

Selina sighed. "Well, whatever works for you two. But I think you should go on your vacation to get your mind off of things. However, if you want to stay here and wait for your dad so the two of you can talk, that's all right too."

They sat in silence and Selina expected Roxie to just get up and leave, but to her surprise, Roxie kept talking. "Addie's pulling away from me. I think she wants to move out and live with Sam permanently."

"Sam?" Selina asked, eyes widened. "But he's related to..."

"No, he's not!" Roxie shouted. "Have you been paying any attention to our conversation these last few minutes at all?"

"Oh, right," Selina flushed a little. "Sorry. I have to play devil's advocate here, though: You went to live with Vince when you were Addie's age. Why are you so against her moving in with Sam?"

"Cause Joey's already gone!" Roxie replied. "That leaves me with no kids at home at all!"

"And what's the problem with that?" Selina asked. "Personally, I wouldn't mind an empty house every once in awhile. Not that I don't love the half a dozen kids your uncle and I had. Take this as an opportunity. It's not something bad. It's a _good_ thing that Addie and Joey want to move on with their lives."

Roxie sighed. "Fine, I guess," she said. "You might be right."

"You know, I'm really surprised," Selina told her. "Based on how much you hated being pregnant, I honestly have always thought that you would have pushed Addie and Joey out the door at the earliest opportunity."

"Well, you're wrong, aren't you?" Roxie replied. "I think I'm gonna go."

"All right," Selina called. "And are you still gonna try and talk to your dad before you go?"

"Well, yeah," Roxie called as she headed out. "Duh!"

"Was that Roxanne?" Elijah asked once Roxie had gone.

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "As usual, we had a delightful little chat. Well, actually it _did_ start out well. She was actually opening up to me. But, as usual, I went and said something that she thought was wrong, so she went stomping off and is now going to ask Klaus for advice instead."

"I always wondered how good he was at giving advice to her," Elijah mused. "What do you think?"

"I would think it wouldn't be so good, but whatever he tells her, it's obviously stuff she finds worth listening to," Selina replied.

"What problem was so bad she came running to you?" Elijah asked. "And please don't take that the wrong way."

"Oh, I don't," Selina replied. "And it wasn't that she wanted to talk to me. It was that she _had_ to because apparently, she doesn't realize her dad is home yet. She'll find out soon, though. I wonder what Klaus will say when he finds out Addie is dating Sam? And she's probably sleeping with him too, although Roxie didn't tell me about that."

"Sam like the Sam we went to see perform the other night?" Elijah asked. He paused. "Wait, that girl he hugged after he did his number: that was Addie, wasn't it?"

"Yep," Selina nodded. "It was. Apparently, she and Joey are Enid's kids, Roxie just found out, and surprise, surprise, it's hitting her hard."

"Huh," Elijah replied. "You know, I never would have thought that."

"Me either," Selina replied. "But then again, Roxie's always been full of surprises. She said she and Vince are going on vacation and I think it'll be good for them."

"After a shock like that, I agree," Elijah replied. He then gave Selina another look. "How do you feel about Addie and Sam?"

"It's interesting to think about," Selina replied. "But I guess since they really aren't related, them being together isn't hurting anything. As long as Sam's happy, good for him. It's been awhile since he's had someone there for him, someone who cares. And if Addie will be that person, I'm not gonna judge."

* * *

"You know," Lucy said to Damon. "For all the crap I give Sam, I_ do _worry about him sometimes. He needs a girlfriend. We should get him one."

"You _were_ paying attention the night he did his song at the club, right?" Damon asked her. "That song he sang, it_ had _to be about someone. Maybe that girl he hugged at the end of it."

"I don't think so," Lucy replied. "Cause that's Roxie's daughter, so she and Sam wouldn't be together."

"Damn," Damon replied. "I was really sort of hoping, you know? I mean, from what I've heard about his brother, Joshua never had any trouble finding a steady girlfriend. He was married relatively quickly."

"Are you angling for more grandchildren?" Lucy asked. "Cause I don't think that will happen."

"No, not more grandchildren," Damon replied. "I just...Sam's never really had anyone to count on his whole life, and I want that for him, you know?"

"Yeah, I do," Lucy nodded. "So, where do you want to start the search for bachelorettes one, two, and three?"

"I don't know," Damon shrugged. "And I don't think I wanna take part in this cause I'm not sure it's a good idea."

"Of course it is," Lucy replied. "Sam will thank us when it's all over." She then looked at her watch. "Oh, I gotta go!" She said. "I'm meeting a friend of mine to talk about putting some of my paintings in her gallery.

"Be sure to pick that one of Sam being murdered a bunch of times and then invite him to come to opening night," Damon replied. "I'm sure he'd appreciate that."

"No," Lucy shook her head. "That one's not for display. That was just an expression of anger that no one besides you is ever gonna see."

"Ah," Damon smirked. "Okay, I get it." Lucy then went up to grab a few of her paintings and got Damon to help her load them into the car. She drove off after that and Damon went back into the house to get himself a drink, knowing that whatever Lucy had planned, Sam wasn't gonna like it.

* * *

"Okay, okay, up, up, up!" Lucy ordered, striding into Sam's bedroom and pulling the curtains apart so that light could come in. Luckily, Addie had had to leave earlier for work at the bar and wasn't in bed with him at the time, cause he wouldn't have relished explaining why he, her brother, was in bed with the girl she thought of as her niece."

"What?" Sam groaned. "This better be a life or death situation. Otherwise, I will be _very _unhappy!"

"Well, in a sense it is," Lucy replied. "I need your help."

"What?" Sam asked, sitting up. "Really? Why?"

"Well, my friend has this gallery, see," Lucy explained, throwing a shirt at him so he could put it on. "And she wants to expand, so she thought a good way to raise money would be to hold a bachelor auction. With that in mind, I thought I'd recommend you to her because, you know, you're good-looking and you play music. You could be worth a pretty penny."

Sam rubbed his eyes, put on the shirt, and glared at his sister. "Seriously?" he replied. "You volunteered me to be exhibited in front of a bunch of crazy women like a piece of meat? No thank you." He lay back down and Lucy pulled him back up. "I _didn't_ volunteer you," she said. "I told Anne that I'd ask you if you were interested."

"Well you tell her I'm not," Sam replied.

"Don't you get tired of living this way?" Lucy asked him. "Hopping from one woman to the next, having sex without forming any emotional ties with anyone? Wouldn't you like to have a dependable girlfriend for once in your life?" She paused. "It _is_ girls, right? I assumed cause of the affection you showed Addie after you played at that talent night."

"Of course it's girls!" Sam told her. "Now, why this sudden need to barge into my life all of a sudden?"

"Because I'm concerned!" Lucy replied. "I know you're not used to that and probably prefer for people to leave you alone, but I worry!"

"That's sweet," Sam told her. "But you don't have to. Trust me, everything is fine." He sighed. "I know I'm gonna regret telling you this, but...I have a girlfriend."

"You do?" Lucy replied. "Who is it?"

"I'm not telling you!" Sam replied irritably. "And now that I've ended your worries, you can go away!"

"All right, all right," Lucy said. "Geez, you don't have to be mean about it." She left, and after he dressed, Sam met Addie at the bar.

"I got a visit from my sister today," he told her as she brought him a beer. "She thinks I need a girlfriend and even wanted me to be in a bachelor auction to help her friend get money for a gallery she owns."

"Well, why don't you do it?" Addie asked. "It might be fun."

"But what about us?" Sam asked in surprise. "You can't tell me you _want_ me to go on a date with someone else. I think I'm offended." He took his beer and twirled the bar stool so his back was to her. She sighed and said, "I'll make sure I'm the one who buys you if you do it."

At that, Sam slowly turned around. "Why?" he asked, genuinely confused. "Why pay to date me when you can do it for free?"

"Well, what would it hurt?" Addie replied. "It might be fun. Also, and I know this will sound a bit sappy, learning about, you know, my heritage and who my parents really are has gotten me thinking about family a lot lately and how families have to be there for each other. If your sister, whom you hardly ever see, needs _one_ favor, I think you should do it. And if, on our date, we go out to dinner or something, just think of the amount I spend on you at the auction is me paying."

"Fine," Sam sighed. "But do you _swear_ you'll be the highest bidder?"

"Oh, yeah," Addie grinned and kissed him. "Try and stop me."

* * *

Enid looked up in surprise as a non-regular strode through the door. "Hey," said the tall young man with dark hair and eyes as he sat down on a bar stool. "Could I have a Manhattan please? Do you know how to make those?"

"Sure," Enid replied and tried to pay attention to the young man and make a drink at the same time. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I just...I wonder who you are," she said. "I know you've been here, since no one turned you away at the door, but you're certainly not a regular."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that," he replied. "I may not be a regular, but my brother is. And my uncle. My sister works here...let's just say this is kind of a family establishment for me. I'm Gregory Mikaelson."

"Wait," Enid replied, mid handshake. "Adrian's brother! What brings you here?"

"It might be none of my business, but my wife and I, we adopted our little girl, and I heard from my mother that you had to give kids up too. If you wanna talk about it, I can listen."

Enid gave a small laugh. "Usually, it's the bar tender that listens to the patrons' problems."

"No matter," Gregory stood up. "If you'll just let me trade places with you, I can make you something."

"Are you sure?" Enid asked. "I mean, it'd really be nice to have someone to talk to. I love my boyfriend, but he doesn't like the way I got myself into our current predicament." She then opened the little door to let Gregory behind the bar, sitting down and saying, "Just a gin and tonic, please."

"All right," Gregory nodded and made it up quick, pushing it down the bar to her. "Now, talk to me if you can, but I'll understand if you can't."

Enid nodded, and took a drink and a deep breath. "Owen and I have been together a _long_ time, like, longer than your father has been around, on and off, seeing each other for a week every five hundred years because it's all I feel we can handle without making my sister angry. Cause when Hazel gets angry, bad things happen. I mean, she even kidnapped a _baby_ recently just because the baby's parents wouldn't hand over this heirloom jewel that belonged to our mother and is a great source of power. I have it now. She's been trying to get it forever, but that's not gonna happen. Anyway, back to my boyfriend: the last time before this that we were together, we talked about the possibility of having kids, and that if we did, they would be safer with me if Hazel decided to victimize them. So I got hold of his sperm and stuff and and told him that next time he saw me, we'd have kids. I thought it would be a lot easier than it was, but when I finally thought it was time, I realized that the best way to protect my kids would be for me to not be the one that raised them, to have someone else do it instead. I picked the perspective parents well, I'd say. They wanted to have kids but couldn't cause he was a vampire, so without telling them the explicit truth, I gave the husband a potion with my and my husband's genetic material in it, which he ingested and later impregnated his wife with. Does that make any sense?"

"I think so," Gregory replied. "You used a potion to impregnate woman who couldn't have children, but instead of it stimulating the man's sperm like normal, he ended up impregnating his wife with a sperm and egg that belonged to you and your boyfriend, so they had your children. And that couple you gave the potion to...would I know them?"

"It was your sister," Enid replied. "Roxie. And Vince, of course. Granted I wasn't counting on her handling the pregnancy so badly that Joey ended up dead and had to be brought back to life by me, but it gave us bonding time afterward, so I forgive her."

"Wow," Gregory replied as Enid paused to take another drink.

"Yeah," Enid nodded. "And now everything is a mess because I told the kids the truth and they're mad at us, and Owen's mad at me cause they're mad, and between that and this thing with Hazel, I've just been having a _really_ shitty week." She drank the rest of her drink and then made another one, downing it just as quickly, then watched Gregory finish his. Just then, Gregory's phone rang. "Yes, Katerina?" He said in answer to the call.

"Where are you?" She asked.

"I told you I had errands to run," he said. "I'll be home in a little bit. Why are you even calling?"

"I don't know," she said. "I just had a weird feeling and thought I should check on you. You aren't talking to other girls, are you?"

"No, Katerina, I'm not. At least not anyone I'm gonna leave for you." Then, he gave Enid a look before saying, "I'll be home in a little bit. And I'll be bringing a friend with me. Goodbye, Katrina."

"You know," he said when Enid had finished her drink and his phone was back in his pocket, "I think you need to get out of here for a bit. Why don't you come home with me to visit? Get some new surroundings?"

"Will it make your lady friend jealous?" Enid asked.

"Probably," Gregory sighed. "But that's just Katerina's way. It doesn't worry you, does it?"

"No," Enid nodded. "And sure I'll come with you. Thank you." But just as they were ready to make their way toward the door, they heard a crash outside and some yelling, before a familiar figure strode into the bar with a few bouncers on his heels.

"Sorry," one of the badly bruised werewolves huffed as the incongruous, black-robed man reached a bar stool and sat down. "We tried to keep him out. We know he doesn't belong here."

"It's all right," Enid told him. "It's Alistair. He can be in here." But when the bouncer was gone, she peered at Alistair with concern. "Are you all right?" She asked. He looked up at her, his expression stern. "Enid," he said firmly, his voice deep and booming, much more so than normal. It didn't even sound like him. "What is this trouble that is going on with you and your sister? You young ladies should be ashamed of yourselves. I raised you better than that."

"Me and Hazel?" Enid asked in confusion. "Alistair, why would you care about what's going on with us? And you sound like my father! It's creepy."

"I _am_ your father, Enid," Alistair replied, standing up. "And if you have the Noir, I'd like to take it. _Now."_

"All right," Enid replied. Then she looked apologetically at Gregory. "We'll be going a bit later than I expected. Do you mind?" A startled Gregory nodded and she pulled out a box from under the bar and opened it, revealing the Noir diamond. "I was just keeping it safe!" She told her father, who, unlike her, or Hazel, preferred to demonstrate his presence by possessing others (like he was possessing Alistair at present) rather than making his own body as she had, or keeping his spirit form like Hazel had. "Hazel is really the one causing all the trouble. She kidnapped and hurt a _baby_ to try and get this!"

"I am aware," her father replied. "And as I am very disappointed in your sister, she will be dealt with."

"And what about me?" Enid asked. "Will I be punished too?"

"No." Her father shook his head, grabbed the diamond, and left the bar.

"Well," Enid replied, letting out her breath once her father was gone and smiling at Gregory, who still looked stunned. "Wanna leave now?"


	19. Not Afraid Anymore

Gregory drove Enid to his house and after he'd parked in the garage, he urged her to continue on into the house while he got stuff out of the trunk. She nodded and did as he suggested, going up to knock on the door. A few seconds later, it was opened by a dark-haired, dark-eyed, ivory skinned young woman holding a little girl with similar coloring. "Yes?" She asked. She seemed irritated. "Whatever you're selling, we're not interested." She was about to slam the door in Enid's face when the witch reached out and grabbed the doorknob. "I'm not selling anything," she said with a smile. "I came with Gregory and he said I could come in while he gets stuff out of the trunk."

"We'll just see about that," Katherine replied, and refused her entrance until Gregory came up behind Enid and frowned at his wife. "Can I ask, Katrina, why Enid is still standing on our front steps? I assured her you'd let her in and give her something to drink. Be welcoming, even though that's against your character."

Katherine's eyes narrowed. "Fine," she said ungraciously to Enid. "Come in."

"Thank you," Enid responded, and followed Katrina and Gregory into the house.

"So, who are you?" Katherine asked Enid bluntly.

"I'm Enid," Enid replied. "I have a bar downtown that your husband comes to sometimes."

"Oh, a waitress," Katherine sneered, and then turned to Gregory. "If you're gonna cheat on me," she said, "I would hope you'd choose someone better than a waitress with which to do so!"

"I didn't bring her here to have an affair with her, Katrina," Gregory replied, his cheeks flushed a deep red. "I brought her cause she was having a bad day."

"Sure," Katherine replied. "You say whatever helps you sleep at night." Then, she left and he looked at Enid, who stared after Katherine in shock. "Sorry about that," he said. "It seems my wife's not having a good day either. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Sure," Enid replied, clearing her throat. "Don't go to a lot of trouble. I'll just take a water."

"Are you sure?" Gregory asked. "Cause I can do better than that."

"All right," Enid replied. "I'll have what you're having."

Gregory nodded and brought Enid a glass of wine, and then once they were both settled, he said, "So what's going on? Was it that you have an adopted child?"

"No," Enid shook her head. "My biological children were adopted, in a sense, by Roxie and Vince, and now they just found out who their biological parents are, and it just didn't end up being like I hoped."

"What do you mean when you say they were adopted 'in a sense'?" Gregory asked. "Let's build on that."

"All right," Enid replied. "My boyfriend and I don't get to see each other very much, because my sister, who's a big pain in the ass, doesn't approve of him. Because of her and her meddling, I only get to see him for a week every five hundred years, and the last time he showed up, I told him that I wanted to have kids by the next time he saw me, and he agreed. We got the materials together, and I just had to wait for the right time. But when the right time came, I realized that keeping our kids with me wouldn't be the best idea, and that maybe having them be raised by someone else until Owen (that's my boyfriend) returned, would be easier. So I, in one of my shiftier life choices, gave Vince and Roxie my and Owen's genetic material and let them think they were gonna have their own children. After the kids were born, I altered their looks and everything, so they would not only look more like Roxie and Vince but be vampire and werewolf also, instead of witch and warlock like they were supposed to be."

"Wow," Gregory replied, taking a breath and feeling taken aback. "That's...that's a lot to deal with. And some very complex magic for you to do."

"I know," Enid nodded. "And I know I probably shouldn't have done any of it in the first place, but..."

"You just wanted to do what was right for your children," Gregory nodded. "I understand that."

"Good," Enid replied. "I'm glad _someone_ does, cause I was starting to feel horrible about it."

"You shouldn't feel horrible about it," Gregory told her. "But you also shouldn't expect your kids to accept the news right away. They need time to process what they've been told, and after that's happened, I'm sure it'll turn out all right for you."

"It's the waiting part that's the most difficult though, you know? I at least see Addie on a daily basis, and just...there's hurt and betrayal in her eyes, and she won't let me near her to make it better."

"She will eventually," Sam replied. "I know it's hard, but if you just give her time and space, she'll come around eventually."

"All right," Enid nodded. "Thanks, I needed to hear that."

Meanwhile, both Katherine and Elizabeth, whose hand Katherine held, were watching Gregory and Enid talk while being hidden from their sights.

"You see her?" Katherine asked Elizabeth. "That's a bad lady who's trying to take your daddy away. And we don't want that to happen. We want him to stay here with us."

"Yes," Elizabeth nodded, her dark eyes narrowed. "Bad Dada."

They watched them talk a little while longer, then went and hid out in Katherine and Gregory's bedroom until they heard Gregory tell Enid goodbye. Then they went out and confronted him. "So," Katherine said. "Did you and your _friend_ have a nice little chat?"

"Yes, we did," Gregory replied firmly. Just then, Katherine let go of Elizabeth's hand and the little girl rushed at her father with a growl, pounding on Gregory's knees and shins with her tiny fists.

"What are you doing, Elizabeth?" Gregory asked. The pummeling had no effect on him and he picked her up with little effort, hugging her and kissing her cheek. "You don't want to hurt your daddy, do you? I love you!"

To Katherine's disappointment, the little girl caved and started giggling, laying her cheek on Gregory's shoulder. "Did you put her up to that?" Gregory asked. "Did you, Katrina? How could you?"

"I was just trying to stop you from leaving us!" Katherine replied. "You know, you've lost interest in me since we've had the baby! Am I not attractive to you anymore because of her?"

"That makes absolutely no sense!" Gregory shot back. "For heaven's sake, Katherine! We _adopted_ her, so she has never taken a single toll on your body!"

"Well...whatever." Katherine shot back and stalked back to their room.

Gregory sighed and hugged Elizabeth again. "Looks like your mother is having a tantrum," he told her and went to put her in her crib. "Why don't you go play in your room while I deal with this."

* * *

"I can't believe you conned me into doing this," Sam told Addie as they camped out in one of the side rooms at the gallery while he got ready for the auction. "I feel like a piece of meat. Now I know why Mom didn't like beauty pageants. This is essentially the same thing."

"Yeah, but you don't have to prance around in a bathing suit," Addie replied. "Although I would _love_ to see that."

"Maybe we could go swimming for our date," Sam replied. "That would be fun. Remember that you swore you'd be the one to win me."

"Yes, yes, I know," Addie said. "And I'll keep that promise."

Just then, there was a knock on the door and Lucy came in holding a clipboard. "Okay, Sam," she said. "The whole shebang starts in twenty minutes but don't worry, you aren't displaying your talents for awhile. I thought I'd put you on at the end, as sort of a grand finale."

"Well, that's flattering," Sam replied. "Get all the homely guys out of the way first and then bring in the high priced goods." He grinned. "Thanks, sis."

And Lucy rolled her eyes and grinned, thinking of how much Sam sounded like Damon. "You're welcome," she replied. Then she left her brother to his primping so she could go check on some of the other contestants.

"All right," Addie replied after going and looking out at the potential audience making their way i into the gallery for the auction. "I'm gonna go and get a good seat." She kissed his cheek and gave him a grin. "And by the way, I think I saw your mom out there with my uncle."

"Oh, goody," Sam replied. "Nothing is more exciting than being bid on by a bunch of crazy women and having your mom watch the whole thing."

"Oh, you'll be all right," Addie replied and gave him a wink. "Good luck."

* * *

"Okay, here's the compromise," Elijah told Selina as they walked into the gallery where the auction was being held because once again, Selina wanted to support her son. "I'll look at all the art, maybe buy a picture or two, and you can watch this ridiculous display of Sam's."

"Shh!" Selina replied irritably. "Don't talk about it like that! It wasn't even his idea, either. It was Lucy's."

"But would it_ really _have taken lots of pushing for Sam to decide to do this on his own?" Elijah asked. "It wouldn't surprise me to see that Sam is a strutting peacock just like his father."

Selina rolled her eyes. "You fussed at Sam's concert, and now you're gonna do it here, too. Seriously, why did you even want to come anyway? Why couldn't you have stayed at home?"

"Lucy asked me to contribute some money to this lovely place and I agreed," Elijah replied, looking around the gallery with appreciation. "After the auction, they're going to acknowledge those of us who helped the gallery along. Isn't that nice of them?" He grinned and Selina scoffed. "Who's the strutting peacock _now_?" She muttered under her breath.

"What?" Elijah asked, grin on his face. "I didn't hear what you said, dear."

"Nothing," Selina replied. "I didn't say anything you'd wanna hear."

Elijah's lip curled. "I bet you didn't," He said and led her to a chair, and then went to look at the artwork.

Meanwhile, a buzz began to build as Lucy came to stand at the podium to start the auction. "How is everyone today?" She yelled out and a wave of cheering answered her.

"All right then!" Lucy smiled and pulled out a stack of note cards that had all the bachelors' stats on them. "Let's get this party started, then!"

The auction went on at a good clip after that, each boy raising a reasonably good amount of money, until it came time to bring out Sam. "All right, ladies," Lucy said with a smile. "We've done really well so far, but now, we only have one guy left, and a very handsome one at that. He plays the guitar, he likes wearing leather, he sings, and I bet if you asked him real nicely, he'd write a song for you. Please welcome...Sam Salvatore!"

At that moment, Sam strode out onto the makeshift runway, grinning and flexing his muscles, the shriek that rose up was deafening, even covering up Selina's whistle of encouragement. While this was going on, Elijah stared at the painting he was thinking of buying (it was one of Lucy's, of course), and rolled his eyes at the female foolishness happening at the auction, the bids for a date with Sam just came at lighting speed. Lucy had started things at two hundred, knowing that women would be more than willing to pay a_ hefty _chunk of change just to be _near _her handsome brother. The bidding went higher and higher until it was just between Addie and one other young woman who seemed just as determined as Addie to have Sam as her date. Finally, Addie pushed her competition off their chair and dug her knee in the poor woman's chest before shouting out a final amount, which, of course, led to her winning. The amount she said was $2500. The, Addie let the woman up and, after giving Addie a _very_ dirty look, she sauntered off.

"So," Sam said, approaching Addie as everyone got out of their chairs and scattered around the gallery. "Where exactly do you plan to get the money to pay for me?"

"I'll get it from your dad," Lucy said, coming up behind them and surprising them both. "Don't worry about it."

"Well, aren't you concerned about us dating?" Sam asked her.

"No," Lucy shook her head. "Mom told me about the Enid situation while all the bidding was going on, and as long as you two are happy, it's none of my business."

"Oh, and getting me a girlfriend _is_ your business?" Sam asked. But he meant it good-naturedly and Lucy knew that. "Come on," she said. "I just didn't want you to be alone forever, and you know you wouldn't be happy that way either."

"You're right," Sam replied, holding Addie tight. "I most definitely wouldn't."

After that remark, Lucy had to leave because Elijah was holding on to a painting of hers and wanting to purchase it.

"How much did you give to the gallery?" Lucy asked him. Elijah told her the amount and she smiled. "Well, what we're doing is that the people who make donations, their donation covered the amount of any pieces they'd like to buy (meaning you can buy art that costs up to the amount you donated and have it covered by what you gave), so you don't have to pay me anything."

"Oh, I wouldn't feel right about that," Elijah told her. "Please, let me give you at least a _little_ something!"

"All right, fine," Lucy sighed. "Would a hundred sound greedy?"

"No," Elijah replied. "In fact, I still think you're underpricing this, but if that's all you'll take, then fine." He pulled a one hundred dollar bill out of his wallet and she put it in her pocket before striding off to see about another picture.

"All right," he said, coming up behind Selina, who was chatting with Damon, Sam, and Addie. "I'm ready to go home now."

"Just a minute," Selina replied, waving him away. "I'm talking now. Be patient. It's not nice to interrupt."

"Fine," Elijah sighed. The second Selina was done talking, he didn't give her time to say goodbye before he whisked her out to the car.

"Well, that was fun," he said with forced light-heartedness. "But I can't wait to see Margaret, Colin, and Tristan at home. Can you, dear?"

"No," Selina replied dryly. "I can't. Let's go then, if you want to so badly."

"Well," Elijah answered, starting the car and pulling out of the parking lot. "As you can see, it's exactly what I'm doing."

* * *

Diana and Joey were sitting on Jake's sofa watching TV when they heard a knock on the door. "What if it's your dad?" Joey asked as Diana got up. "Don't you think it's weird he hasn't come looking for you since the day we left?"

"I told you," Diana told him. "Daddy never really pays attention to stuff like that. I've basically raised myself since I was six and my mom left."

"I'm sorry," Joey replied.

"Eh," Diana shrugged. "Whatever. It wasn't a real loss to me." She opened the door and saw Enid on the other side. "Can I come in?" She asked.

"Sure," Joey replied. "Uncle Jake's out with Sherry, so it's just Diana and me here."

"All right," She said and came to sit next to him on the sofa. "Do you have any questions about what I told you about yourself? Your sister hasn't taken it well and I wondered if you had the same problem."

"No," Joey shrugged. "Not really. After all you've done for me, what you said makes sense."

"And I have another thing to tell you," Enid told him. "My father heard about all the trouble Hazel is causing and came down from on high to deal with it."

"How?" Joey asked.

"He possessed Alistair," Enid replied. "And showed up at the bar to talk to me. It was a bit disconcerting at first, but Daddy's done it before. It's his way."

"So you're saying I_ don't _have to be scared of Hazel anymore?" Joey asked.

"No," Enid replied. "Not even a little bit."

Joey let out his breath. "That's good. Can I ask _why_ I don't have to fear her anymore? Is she dead?"

"Well, technically she can't die cause she doesn't have a real body, but my father finally got wind of what she's been up to and he said he'd deal with her," Enid assured Joey. "I promise."

"Do you trust him?" Joey asked.

"Yeah," Enid replied. "I do."

* * *

That night, as Enid was cleaning up the bar, her father came in again, still occupying Alistair's body. Enid wondered when Astrid would question what happened to her husband. Thank god for her job with the witch government. "I suppose you're wondering what I plan to do with your sister," he said to her.

"Yeah," Enid replied, giving the floor a sweep. "I _did_ wonder that, but I have a pretty good idea. I told Joey he wouldn't have to worry about Hazel hassling him anymore. Am I right?"

"Of course," her father replied. "I wouldn't let my grandchildren be in _real_ danger from her. Sorry I was so late with my assistance, by the way."

"I'm sure you had a good reason to be," Enid replied. "Although, even though Joey was the main target of her rage, Hazel _did_ harm a baby in her course to get the diamond."

Her father gasped. "An infant? Really?"

"Yeah," Enid nodded. A member of Ena's Original vampire family. They had the jewel, and when they wouldn't give it to her voluntarily, she had her goons kidnap a baby (who was half-witch, by the way) and starve her of blood."

"Well that's ghastly," her father replied. "I'll have to up my punishment for her, now that I know her greed has made her stupid enough to go against her own kind."

"What are you going to do?" Enid asked.

"I'm going to send her back to earth, but without powers," her farther replied. "She'll be a mortal having to navigate through the mortal world with no idea how to do that."

"Would you like me to help her?" Enid asked.

"No," her father shook his head, a twinkle in his eye. "Your sister has been determined not to fall in love for so long that I think it would be good for a nice young man to help her do that."


	20. Like A Bad Country Song

A/n: Since Gregory and Katherine are in this chapter, I just wanted to put a warning for possible triggering behavior from them.

* * *

"How are we feeling?" Gregory asked Katherine as he strode into their bedroom that night after Elizabeth had been put to bed. "Do you still hate me?"

"Yes!" Katherine replied. She was facing the opposite wall and didn't turn to look at him. "You brought another woman here. How dare you, you jerk!"

"Just a minute now!" Gregory protested, turning her over to face him. "I did, and I probably even should have let you know before hand that she was coming, but that's the only thing even _close_ to a wrong that I will admit to."

She sniffed dismissively. "I still don't believe you love me anymore."

Gregory scoffed and took her in his arms. "I guess telling you isn't doing any good cause you're so stubborn," he said. "I guess I'll have to _show_ you instead!" Then, he kissed her deeply, his fingers threading through her tousled dark hair, pulling on it just a little, so that when he pushed into her and let out a shriek, it wasn't only because of that. When he rolled off her and she was panting heavily, he got out of bed and tied her wrists up with a scarf. "I'm gonna go to the kitchen real quick," he said. "I'm a little hungry after all that. I know you won't be able to get away, but...can I get you anything?"

"Oh, drop dead!" Katherine shot back and tried to wriggle out of the scarf, which he'd tied surprisingly tight. "You've probably cut off my circulation, you idiot!"

Gregory just chuckled, came back with a knife and a hunk of bread, which he ate, and made a cut along Katherine's arm with the knife. It was a shallow one, but a little blood trickled out. "See?" Gregory pointed out. "You're fine." He climbed into bed beside her, wiped the blood off the knife with his finger, then licked his finger. "And tasty, too."

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself so much," Katherine replied, and then squirmed. "Seriously, though: loosen the damn scarf."

"Fine," Gregory replied and released her. "But I'm disappointed, _Katrina_."

"I didn't tell you to take it off," Katherine corrected him. "I just said 'loosen it'. There's a difference."

"Let me tell you why I untied you," Gregory replied and took her in his arms. "I had to do this. I had to hold you. How can you look me in the eye and tell me I don't want you now?"

Katherine chuckled and kissed him quick as she felt his hands move down toward her butt. "You're an old softie, you know that? I wonder where that came from?"

"It came from the fact that I love you," he said. "Even though it's what you like, I can't stay harsh with you for very long."

Katherine chuckled and nipped his lip, slowly licking the blood off. "If it were anyone else, that would be a turnoff for me, but you...you make me feel weird. It's like I wait for something to go wrong, and it never does."

"And that's how it will always be with us," Gregory promised before pushing her back against the bed. "Always and forever."

* * *

"I_ still _can't believe you spent over $2000 to date me," Sam replied. "You really didn't have to."

"Yes, I did," Addie replied. She was sitting on the window seat in her and Sam's bedroom, writing something down on a pad of paper. "If I hadn't, you would have had to go on a date with that other woman instead of me, and I didn't think you'd want that. And besides, it wasn't even my money."

"I don't know," Sam winked. "She looked kind of nice."

"Oh, shut up!" Addie replied, put the pad down, and came over to push him back onto the bed. Then she kissed him and he pulled her against himself, rolling her underneath him. However, she was the one doing the kissing still. "Say," he said. "What is it that you're writing on that pad?"

"Nothing," Addie sighed. "Just ramblings about this whole situation with my parents. Nothing special."

"Well, after we do this," Sam asked as Addie eased off his shirt and unzipped his pants. "Can I look at what you wrote?"

"Sure," Addie replied. "I don't know why you'd want to, but sure."

"Thanks," Sam told her as he pushed her skirt up and pulled down her panties. "Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome," she grinned and kissed him. They rolled around on the bed, and just as Addie let out a shriek of release, the bed jolted and they rolled off it and hit the floor.

"You all right?" Sam asked her. "How did that happen with the bed?"

"It was probably my magic again," Addie replied, rubbing the bump on her head. "That probably wasn't worth over $2000, was it?"

"Well, yeah," Sam replied. "I'd say it was."

"All right," Addie replied. She went back to the window seat and grabbed the note pad, coming back to hand it to him. "Here," she said. "You told me you wanted to see it."

"Well thank you," Sam replied seriously and took the pad from her, looking it over. "It's not much," she apologized. "I-"

"Shhh..." Sam put a hand up and began humming, the words Addie had written following afterward.

"Wow," Addie replied, once he'd sung the whole thing. "That was...weird, in a good way. I didn't think that was song material."

"Well, don't most songs come from pain?" Sam asked. "And that's clearly what everything on this pad is."

"Oh, go on!" Addie grinned. "At most, it's nothing but a bad country song."

"I hate country," Sam replied. "There's no way I'd style it like that. I can turn this into something really awesome...if you want me to."

Addie sighed. "I guess it's not something I'd be really embarrassed to have someone hear," she admitted. "Go ahead and do it."

"Well, thank you," Sam replied, giving her a hug. "I mean that."

"I know you do," Addie replied. "And you're welcome."

They just stayed in each other's arms after that, with Addie resting her head on Sam's bare shoulder, and Sam running his hand down Addie's back. "You're gonna be okay," he told her.

Addie raised her head at that moment, locked eyes with him, and smiled. "If anyone would know that, you would," she said.

"Stick with me, kid," Sam winked. "You'll be glad you did."

* * *

"Would you care to explain to me what was going on with you at the gallery yesterday?" Selina asked when they woke up the next morning.

"No," Elijah replied. "I would not care to do that."

"Fine," Selina replied. "You don't have to, cause I already know. But what I don't understand is _why_. Why is it that any time I go and support Sam, you insist you have to come too, and then do nothing but give me grief?"

"Ah, but today I came with you because I was supporting Lucy, who is as good as my daughter," Elijah corrected sitting up so that she got a good view of his bare body, hoping that would stop her talking as it usually did, but this time, it seemed she was too worked up to even notice.

"Well, if you were just coming to support Lucy," she said, "you shouldn't have made a fuss about Sam and should have let me talk to Damon and Sam afterward," she chided. "This jealousy act of yours is getting tiresome!"

"Tiresome?" Elijah replied. "You should be grateful that you have someone who cares enough about you to be jealous!"

"Well, that's just fucking bullshit, isn't it?" Selina replied. "Only in your head would something that ridiculous make sense!" She waited for his response, but he just took her in his arms and kissed her instead. She tried to resist at first and keep the argument going, but she finally looked him over and admitted to herself that she wouldn't be able to fight very long when Elijah was in his underwear.

Elijah grinned as she slowly softened and let him take her in his arms. "I hate you," she muttered as he carried her to bed. "I hate that you know me so well that every time we argue, you know what to do so I lose."

"You know that's not true," Elijah replied. "You know you always lose because you don't like to fight and would much rather be loved instead."

"Oh, I _love_ to fight," Selina scoffed. "Are you kidding?" She whacked him in the face with a pillow with such force that it knocked over a lamp from Elijah's night stand, which shattered.

Elijah then raised an eyebrow. "Are you planning on cleaning that up?" He asked her.

Selina looked up at the ceiling as Elijah nodded. "I thought so," he said.

"Don't look at me like I did something wrong!" Selina cried. "Sometimes, if you wanna have fun, you gotta break a few lamps. That's how things are!"

"That was an antique," Elijah replied dryly. "What do you have to say for yourself now?"

"That you should know by now not to put your antiques in places where I will most likely break them," Selina replied. "I think _that's_ the lesson here."

Elijah sighed and crawled over to Selina's side of the bed so he could get out without cutting himself.

"Why are you getting dressed now?" Selina asked. "I thought we were gonna have sex!"

"I've suddenly lost any feeling for it," Elijah replied. "Maybe later."

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Selina said. "It's just a lamp! Come back to bed, please."

"No," Elijah replied. "And don't act as if I'm depriving you. Things got quite intense last night, didn't they? I thought you'd be too tired to do more anyway."

"I'm _never_ tired!" Selina replied. "At least not from you, anyway. The bakery makes me more tired than you do."

Elijah smirked. "I guess we'll just have to work harder next time then."

"Not fair!" Selina cried as she got out of bed. "Why do you _do_ this to me?"

"To give you something to look forward to after a long, hard day at the bakery," Elijah replied.

"And I suppose that's another thing I should thank you for?" Selina asked as she headed in to shower. "Do you mind me going first, or do you want to join me to save time?"

"You can go first," Elijah replied. "It probably wouldn't hurt my father to wait a little bit."

"Yeah, and we know who he'll blame when it happens," Selina replied, rolling her eyes. "P.S., it's not you. I think you're safe no matter how long you take to get ready."

"Okay," Elijah replied. "I'll go first then." Selina nodded and he strode into the bathroom. Since he wore nothing, just like her, of course Selina's eyes were glued on his butt until the bathroom door closed and the shower turned on. Selina got herself in a bathrobe and brushed her hair until the shower turned off, waited a little bit longer, and strode in. Elijah was standing at the mirror, a towel wrapped around his waist as beads of water cascaded down his arms and chest. "Hi," Selina grinned, coming up behind him and hugging him around the waist. "I figure I should take advantage of the opportunity before you get your suit on," she said. "I know that there's no overly enthusiastic hugging after you get your suit on."

Elijah removed her hands and turned, grinning, putting his arms around _her_ instead. She sighted contentedly as she leaned against him. "You smell so _good_," she observed, breathing him in.

"I do, don't I?" Elijah replied wryly. Then Selina looked up at him. "What do you say we take off the towel now and go back to bed?"

"I have to give you points for that attempt to distract me," Elijah told her. "You never miss an opportunity, do you?"

"No," Selina shook her head and sighed. She removed her robe and let it fall in a puddle at her feet. "I _never_ miss an opportunity." She gave him a wink and climbed into the shower while he brushed his teeth and thought about her washing off her soapy body. When he heard her moan as she washed her more intimate parts with a loofah, he choked on the toothpaste-y spit he had in his mouth before he spat it out into the sink and ran to put on his clothes, slamming the bathroom door behind him, breathing hard, and knowing that his face was most likely colored bright red. "I'm all right," he whispered to himself. "I'm all right." He got dressed as fast as he could, and when Selina came out of the bathroom, bathrobe securely fastened, he prayed that his face was back to normal.

"Are you okay?" She asked when she saw him. "You seem nervous."

"What?" Elijah asked. "Me, nervous? No, no. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Selina asked.

"Yes," Elijah replied. "It's nothing. I just overheard you in the shower, and I-I thought...oh, dear god." Color rose in his cheeks again.

"It's all right," Selina replied, putting her arms around him. "You should have come in with me. Why didn't you? Are you really in such a rush?"

"No," he said and kissed her long and hard. "I'm not in a rush." Then he let her go and gave her a spanking. "But you have a bakery to be getting to. People are probably lined up around the block waiting for you and you're not there."

Selina grinned and picked clothes out of her dresser. "You flatter me, sir."

"No, I don't," Elijah shook his head. "I tell the truth. Always. And don't forget to clean up the lamp you broke before someone accidentally hurts themselves!"

"Damn," Selina replied. "I hoped you'd forgotten about that."

"Nope," Elijah shook his head. "Sorry."


	21. Graduation

"I can't believe you're actually a warlock," Diana told Joey one day. "That means if you and I last and have kids someday, they'll be witch-werewolves." She paused. "Or just a witch/warlock if I have anything to do with it. No turning into werewolves for my kids."

"Are you sure?" Joey asked.

"Yes," Diana nodded. "I'm sure. When I was a kid, Daddy used to drag me and my siblings to a ceremony that was held for the werewolf males of our pack when they turned sixteen. That's when they activated their genes, going out and killing people on purpose just to prove a stupid point."

"What about the girls?" Joey asked. "Did they have to do the ritual too?"

"It's not mandatory for girls," Diana replied. "Maybe they think we're too soft or something. Not that we can't initiate our genes, of course."

"Do you plan to?" Joey asked.

Diana shook her head. "I like how I am now," she told him. "If my gene ever does get activated, it won't be on purpose, that's for sure."

Joey shrugged. "Or I could ask Aunt Enid to use her magic to make your gene dormant so you don't have to worry," he offered.

"Really?" Diana asked. "That won't make my dad happy."

"But Enid is like his boss," Joey reminded her. "If she makes your gene dormant, and then your dad gets pissed, I'm sure Enid wouldn't hesitate to smite him if you asked her to."

"Oh, don't be silly," Diana replied. "I'm sure Enid has more important things on her mind than looking after me."

"But I'm her son," Joey reminded her. "I'm sure she'll make time if I ask."

"All right," Diana nodded. "Thank you."

* * *

"Anyone here?" Joey called as he led Diana into the nearly empty bar. "Aunt Enid? Mom? Anyone?"

Just then, Owen came downstairs and caught Joey's eye. "Enid's out at the moment," he said. "Family drama with her father and Hazel that she didn't feel I deserved to have explained to me." He paused. "Anything _I_ can help you with?"

"Sorry, not really," Joey told him. "We need her magic specifically, to make Diana's werewolf gene dormant so she doesn't have to turn."

"Oh," Owen nodded. "Okay. I'm sure she'll be back soon. Until then, could I get the two of you a drink or something? I've become very proficient at that since I arrived."

Joey wasn't really thirsty, but he saw the really hopeful look in Owen's eyes, and figured that the man who was actually his biological father just wanted to do something for him.

"Yeah, all right," Joey replied. "Just give me a...root beer."

"Where are those?" Owen asked. "Enid only told me where the alcohol was." Then, he watched in amazement as Joey bounded over the bar and pulled out a few bottles from a small refrigerator underneath it. "Here," he said. "She always keeps pop on hand, you know, cause this is a family place and all."

"Good to know," Owen replied, locking that bit of knowledge away for future reference.

Just then, Enid came striding in. She looked tired.

"What happened?" Owen asked her. "Are you okay?"

Enid sighed. "Hazel told me that Daddy's decided to go after Astrid now," she said. "And take her as a mistress. He's even replaced her in the Council. And her poor husband, Alistair! Things won't go well for them after Daddy's had his fun and decided to leave. I only hope the pair of them are strong enough to stay together."

"Wait, who are Astrid and Alistair again?" Owen asked. "Their names are familiar, but I don't exactly know..."

"Oh," Enid said down and tried to explain it all to him. "Astrid was the head of the Council," she said. "And Alistair is her husband. _He_ was one of the first people sentenced to using their magic as a way of forced servitude because he betrayed his clan leader for the sake of power. Daddy never really liked him much."

"And now your father has taken Astrid as his mistress?" Owen asked as he cleared his throat. "Does he do things like that often?"

"Well, he's a very lusty fellow, my father," Enid replied. "He's actually had several children by many different women, but me, Vanessa, and Hazel were the only ones he ever actually bothered to claim as his. Astrid is just the latest one to catch his eye, poor woman. Denying my father what he wants is a _bad_ idea."

"You should help her," Joey said. "Are you planning to?"

"I will after she's been left on her own," Enid said. "That's when she'll _really_ need the help. I've seen Alistair come in here often enough with Klaus that I know him, and I know he won't take to Astrid's cheating kindly, even if she had no other choice but to do it."

"Poor Astrid," Diana said. "I don't know her at all and I feel sorry for her."

"Yes, well," Enid peered at Joey. "I'm sure you didn't come all the way down here just to tell me to save someone else. Is there anything _you_ want?"

"Would you make Diana's werewolf gene dormant, please?" Joey asked. "She's really not interested in activating it."

"Wow, really?" Enid said in surprise. "You look like the sort of girl who would."

Diana sighed. "I saw my five brothers activate their genes, along with all the other boys in our pack, and after that, it just sort of lost its appeal."

"Well, all right," Enid replied. "I admire your restraint." She went into the back room and after awhile came out with a bottle of what looked like water. "The first step is for you to drink this," she said. "It'll taste gross, but you gotta drink every last drop."

"All right," Diana said, opening the bottle and putting one hand in Joey's. She then drank some of the liquid, her face and stomach twisting as it got into her mouth. She ran to spit it out and came back. "What the hell is that?" She asked. "It's disgusting."

"I _did_ warn you," Enid replied. "It's wolfsbane. Since you're not active, the most it'll do is make you temporarily ill, but if you were active, it would kill you."

"Oh, _that _makes me feel better about drinking it," Diana said.

"It's a shame you aren't younger, or just wanting to postpone your gene being active," Enid said. "That happened with Joey's uncle. He killed someone young and his mother asked me to postpone his turning until he was old enough to understand what it meant."

"You can _do_ that?" Joey asked in amazement."

"Of course I can," Enid replied. "I_ created _werewolves. I can do anything with them that I want." She looked at Diana, who was still panting. "Do you still want to go ahead with making your gene dormant now that you know what you'll have to do? Do you think you can handle it?"

"Yes," Diana nodded determinedly. "I can handle it." Diana pushed the bottle back at her and, steeling herself while holding tightly to Joey's hand, she managed to choke down the rest of the wolfsbane mixture, followed by one more potion that Enid said would ease the nausea she was feeling.

"Now, that's not all," Enid told her. "You have to take that stuff every night until the next full moon."

"Oh, god!" Diana exclaimed. "And how long is that?"

"Thirteen days," Enid replied. "Do you think you can make it?"

"Yeah," Diana nodded resolutely and squeezed Joey's hand. "It'll really be a pain in the ass, but I think I can do it."

"Good," Enid smiled. "Now I suggest you go home and rest. What you're going through is hectic on your body."

"No kidding," Diana replied. Then, Joey took her back out to his car and when they were gone, Owen told Enid, "it's a great boy we have."

"Yeah," Enid grinned. "I've always had a soft spot for him myself."

"Is she really gonna be okay?" Owen pressed. "Or are you just peddling snake oil?"

"I'm not!" Enid replied. "What I gave her will really help her if she does it properly." She paused. "Now, will you stop scolding me so we can go up to bed?"

"Fine," Owen nodded. "I suppose after the day you've had, you deserve a rest."

"Thanks!" Enid nodded as she followed him up the stairs. "But a rest really wasn't what I was looking for."

Owen grinned over his shoulder. "And it's not what you're gonna get, either."

* * *

"Oh, my god!" Sherry exclaimed when she saw the state Diana was in as she and Joey entered the house. "Jake! Jake, come quick! Diana needs a doctor!"

Jake came running in and stared in horror at Diana, who had just collapsed on the floor, beads of sweat pouring down her face. "Joey, what the hell happened?"

Joey looked pointedly at Sherry. "I'll have to tell you in private," he said. "It has something to do with that...disease that runs in our family."

"Oh, that," Jake nodded. "Sure. Sherry, you watch Diana, would you please?"

"Sure," Sherri nodded. "And do you still want me to call a doctor? Cause I mean, if she has a disease...?"

"No, no calling any doctors!" Jake replied. "We'll get it all fixed, I promise!" They went off into a corner and Jake said, "So what's going on with Diana? She looks like she's _dying!_"

"She's...taking a potion from Enid that will help make her werewolf gene dormant." Joey said. "It's a lot more complicated compared to what some of my cousins have gone through, but then again, Diana's not Original descended, so that's probably why." He shrugged. "I don't know for sure, though."

"So will she be better eventually?" Jake asked. "Or will she be sick like that forever?"

"She has to get better," Joey told his uncle. "She'll be taking the wolfsbane potion every night until the full moon, and that wouldn't work if she was this sick the whole time."

"All right," Jake sighed. "If Enid promised you that's how it would be...I'll have to make a note of that in my books, though. I've never heard of that, and I've heard of basically everything."

"All right," Joey nodded. "I'm gonna go help Sherry get Diana to bed."

After he did that, he tucked Diana in and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead. "I know this whole process is gonna be painful as fuck," he told her. "But you'll get through it."

"I know," Diana replied. "Thanks." Joey then got up to go so she could rest, but as he reached the door, she said, "would you stay until I've fallen asleep? Please?"

"Sure," he said. He took her desk chair, placed it beside the bed, and sat in it. "I'll be right here," he said. "Don't worry."

"Thank you," Diana replied. "Thank you, Joey."

* * *

"Can Margaret come and live with us?" Henry asked Lenora. Two months had passed by, and it was now May.

"Of course Margaret can't come to live with us," Lenora replied. "Her parents would miss her too much!"

Henry paused after this and thought a moment. "How long until she doesn't have to live with her mommy and daddy anymore?" He asked.

"A good ten years or so," Lenora told him. "You still have awhile to go."

"But after it goes, I wanna live with her," Henry replied.

"That would be weird to have it just be the two of us," Margaret replied. "But I think I would like it." Henry paused. "Since it's Friday and school is almost over, can Margaret and I spend the night on the boat?"

"Not by yourselves," Lenora shook her head. "Either your daddy or I will have to be on the boat with you."

"I think that's okay," Henry replied. He raised an eyebrow at Margaret. "Is it okay with you?"

"Sure," Margaret replied. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Henry shrugged. "You could think I was a bad person!" He said, waggling his eyebrows. "I could make you not safe!"

"You killed my scary nightmare dragon," Margaret reminded him. "And made friends with a human. You're a good person."

"All right," Lenora told them. "If you two want to have a sleepover in the boat, I'll call my grandma to see if it's okay."

"I already know Grandma will say 'yes'," Henry replied knowingly. "She has every other time."

"But still, it's always good to ask permission," Lenora said. "Even when you think you know what the answer will be."

* * *

But Henry was, of course, right, and after Lenora tucked him and Margaret in bed next to each other, Lenora left and headed to her and James' special bedroom where James joined her a few minutes later. He looked worried.

"Astrid's just been replaced as head of the Council," he said. "Hazel's orders. They're bringing in someone new and what do you think that will mean for me?"

"Possibly nothing," Lenora replied. "Why are you so worried?"

"Cause I just...I know I've been sort of longing for my old job ever since I started fighting on the 'right' side of the law," James replied. "But what if this new management actually decides to send me back? I don't think I could handle it. We'd have to live in...the place again. The place where no love is."

Lenora sighed and kissed him. "I don't think that'll happen," she said. "But if it does, we'll make the best of it, like we did before. We'll have Susanna start her pre-school in September and hope that the teachers can deal with her, cause no matter if it's a magical school or not, I have a feeling she'll be a handful."

James chuckled. "I'll make it very clear to her that she can't hassle the teachers _too_ badly."

"And I have to tell her that she'll not be able to feed at school," Lenora said. "Cause I can just picture one of the kids pissing her off, followed by her going straight for their jugular. And she would definitely get kicked out that way. Human school would be even worse. She just doesn't have Henry's restraint."

"Tell me about it," James replied as he remembered coming home early in the morning from a work trip and being attacked by both Susanna and the dog cause they thought he was burglar.

It was then, coincidentally, as he thought this, that he and Lenora heard a crash and some banging.

"What do you think that is?" Lenora asked.

"I have no idea," James replied.

Lenora put a bathrobe on told James to put on his pants, and the two of them followed the noises to the kitchen where they found Margaret balancing precariously on Henry's back as she tried to get snacks out of the freezer. Two cartons of ice cream and a frozen steak had fallen beside them.

"What in the hell is going on here?" Lenora asked. Margaret stepped off Henry onto the floor, her voice full of shame. "We were hungry," she exclaimed. "We wanted a snack. Then we couldn't reach the freezer, and when we did, all the stuff fell out."

"Well, did either of you get hit in the head?" Lenora asked. "With that frozen stuff falling, you could have been hurt!"

"I told Henry to use magic!" Margaret said. "But he told me we could come out here and get stuff from the 'frigerator since you were probably already asleep."

James and Lenora looked at one another and sighed. Then Lenora magicked a bowl full of fruit and gave it to them. "Take this to your room and eat it," she told them. "That'll be your snack, but I want you going to bed after that. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Henry bowed his head and Margaret looked about to cry. Lenora and James followed them to their bedroom and as they all entered, Rusty (who'd chosen to sleep with Henry that night, and was the only one who was actually asleep) woke up. Henry tossed him a few grapes and then he and Margaret got into bed.

"All right," Lenora said. "Bed after you finish eating, remember. And no pulling this sort of stunt again. Night time is for sleeping."

Henry and Margaret both nodded and then Lenora shut the door behind her and James chuckled. "Amazing how committed Henry is to that girl, isn't it?" He grinned. "I bet he'd do anything for her."

"Well, that's not always a good thing," Lenora said. "Some day, he'll probably feel something more for her when he shouldn't. and his reaction to it will get him into trouble. Cause while he's better with restraint than Susanna is, it's still not his best thing either."

* * *

"Would you look at that?" Laura said to Edward as they got inside after getting home from school. "I can still fit through a door! It's amazing!"

"You're not that bad," Edward comforted his wife. "Don't exaggerate so much. You're too beautiful for that!"

"Awwww!" Laura started to cry happy tears and gave him a hug. "You're such a wonderful husband, even when I'm being a pain in the butt!" She paused, gasping. "What am I gonna go about graduation? I mean, I ordered my robe when I was thinner. What if it doesn't fit and I have no choice but to wear a burlap sack or something when I go get my diploma?"

"I don't think you have to worry about that," Edward assured her. "Graduation robes aren't form-fitting." He paused. "Do you need me to drive you to work today, or do you want me to call Enid and say you want the day off?"

"Day off," Laura replied, sitting down. "My back hurts like hell."

"All right," Edward replied. He called Enid to tell her, and Enid said, "Tell Laura not to worry about it. I've got Owen working for me tonight anyway, so I won't be put out. I hope she feels better soon."

"All right," Edward nodded. "Thank you, Enid. I'll let her know." He ended the call and told Laura, "it's all right. You're off the hook. Enid's got Owen subbing for you."

"Good," Laura nodded and went to take some pills for the pain. "It sucks that I can be immune to lots of pains, but pregnancy pains aren't on that list," she commented after drinking a glass of water.

"Are you gonna go to bed?" Edward asked her.

"I'll try," Laura sighed. "Maybe I should see what dress I'm gonna squeeze myself into for graduation."

"I have to wonder if there's something other than the dress you should be worried about," Edward said. "Do you know if your parents are coming?"

"Of course they're coming to graduation!" Laura said. "Why wouldn't they?"

"Well, one of the other days you took off of work, I was there telling Enid and your mom came bursting in, muttering something about your father being 'impossible and heartless'. Then she had three drinks and took a room upstairs for the night."

"Really?" Laura asked. "I had no idea about any of that." She then went and called her mother's phone. And to her surprise, it took a _very_ long time for Selina to answer.

"Mom?" She asked when Selina answered. "What's going on between you and Daddy? Nothing bad, I hope?"

"Nothing that will ruin your graduation, sweetie. Don't worry," Selina assured her. "Your father and I will try and maintain civility, even though we're currently having an argument that is entirely his fault!"

"What is it?" Laura sighed.

"Well," Selina cleared her throat. "A while ago, your dad was at the bakery so we could see each other during my lunch break when Astrid of all people came striding in and told me she needed to get something off her chest. Now naturally, because I'm a very sympathetic person, I asked what was wrong, and she told me that Alistair has been possessed by the most powerful magical being in the world because that being wants to have an affair with her. And that she actually slept with him because he threatened to kill both her and Alistair if she didn't. Now, I sympathized with Astrid's predicament, and your father decided to scold me for that opinion, right there in front of everyone in my own store! He said that I had been faithless once myself, so it was no surprise that I sided with Astrid now. And the real big thing was that I didn't even _want_ to say anything about the situation, cause it's none of my business really, nor your father's, but he pried the opinion out of me, and now he and I aren't talking. But like I say, we won't let it ruin your graduation. We'll be there to support you."

"Well, thanks." Laura replied. "I'm touched. "Goodbye." She ended the call and turned to Edward, bursting into tears. "What?" Edward asked, coming to embrace her as much as he could.

"My mommy and daddy are fighting!" Laura sobbed. "And it's gonna ruin graduation!"

"Oh, I'm sure it's not," Edward replied. "I'm sure they'll maintain decorum." He handed her a mini candy bar. "Eat this. "It'll cheer you up."

Laura looked at it and shook her head. "When you find the rest of the bag that came in and I have it in my hands," she said, wiping her eyes, "_that_ will cheer me up."

* * *

Finally, Laura and Edward woke up on graduation day, put on their dress clothes and robes, and drove to the venue where the ceremony was being held.

"I don't know if I'll be able to sit the whole time," Laura said. "What if, when they call my name, I have to pee or something? That's not out of the realm of possibility." She squirmed in her chair and Edward whispered, "Just don't think about it. If you do, it'll only make it worse!"

They got instructions about how to get on and off the stage among other things, and then went to line up as friends and relatives crowded into the room. Then, to the strains of _Pomp and Circumstance,_ everyone came up one by one to get their diplomas. When Laura's name was called, the applause that met it was deafening. Mom and Dad must've invited the whole family, she thought to herself as she shook the principal's hand then got off the stage. She then ran to the bathroom and when she got back, Edward, surmising correctly where she'd gone, grinned at her. "Better?" He asked.

"Oh, yeah," she nodded. "Definitely."

After the ceremony was over, all the students dispersed in different directions. Laura and Edward headed straight to her waiting parents.

"I was right," Laura said, looking at her father. "You _did_ invite the whole family!"

"Well, it's not every day this happens," Elijah said. Then Roxie came up beside him and gave Laura a hug. "Congratulations," she said.

"Thanks," Laura replied. "And thanks for coming. I know things haven't been easy for you."

"It's okay," Roxie shrugged her comment away. "I'm getting used to the new circumstances now. Addie and Joey still pay more attention to me and Vince than they do to Enid and Owen anyway, so I'm cool."

"And how was the vacation?" Laura asked.

"Much needed," Roxie replied. "We had the nicest beach by our hotel, and Vince and I were out on it every day. Sometimes wearing nothing at all."

"All right," Elijah told her. "That's enough, Roxanne."

"If you want more details than Mr. Fussbudget here will let you have, just give me a call and I'll spill," Roxie told Laura, who nodded and watched Roxie walk away.

"Do you have enough energy to talk to everyone over cake and punch?" Selina asked Laura. "Or has this worn you out already?"

"No, I think I can do it," Laura replied. "If we leave now, that is."

"All right," Selina nodded. "Everyone knows we'll be meeting at the bakery. I cleared it out for the whole day."

"You're not charging people for what they buy, are you?" Elijah asked.

"Why not?" Selina asked. "I'm letting everone have a family discount. And I have to make money _somehow._" Then, she paused and looked at Laura. "Never mind," she said quickly. "Let's just go, have cake and stuff, and celebrate Laura and Edward's accomplishment."

"Well said," Elijah replied. And they hustled everyone out of the venue in as orderly a fashion as they could, and then everyone headed to the bakery.


	22. When The Cat's Away

After Elijah and Selina returned home from the bakery, Selina went and locked herself in her room. Elijah made to follow, but she slammed the door in his face before he could go in the room.

"Selina!" He yelled. "Let me in!"

"Why?" She asked. "You're just gonna yell at me for having an opinion. I have the right to an opinion, just as much as you do."

Elijah just gave a dry chuckle. "Except for when your opinion is wrong," he said and opened the door. "But like I told you before, I'm not surprised you're siding with Astrid."

"I don't even see why we need to get involved in Astrid and Alistar's relationship in the first place," Selina said. "She came to me to vent. She was most likely not expecting either you or me to take sides."

"But when Alistair comes back to himself, he'll need me like Astrid needed you," Elijah said."I can't very well ignore him. And you can't blame me for thinking the way I do."

"I'd tell you the same thing about me and Astrid!" Selina cried. "She did the best she could in a bad situation. She and Alistair both will live because of her actions. I should think that would mean more than the fact that Alistair was possessed by someone else when she slept with him. If not, Alistair's just an ungrateful idiot, isn't he?"

"_Ungrateful_?" Elijah bellowed. "She slept with, for all intents and purposes, another man, and you're calling Alistair _ungrateful_ for being upset about it?"

"Well, it's not like Astrid just decided to do it for no reason!" Selina repeated. "It's not like she had a choice!"

"People _always_ have a choice," Elijah said firmly.

"So you'd rather see one of your best friends _die_ while his wife acts morally then have his life be saved because Astrid gave in to the demands of a lunatic?" Selina asked. "Where's your head, Elijah?" She then scoffed in disgust and went to the bakery for a little peace and quiet. It was there that she saw Astrid. "Hi," Astrid said, coming up to the counter.

"Hi," Selina replied. "Are you okay? Are you still worried about what will happen between you and Alistair? You might be headed down a rough path, cause I told Elijah about why you slept with Conal, he thought it was wrong, and he and Alistair think so similarly that you might be on your own for awhile."

"Oh, that's fine," Astrid said. "What do I need him for anyway, when I've got Conal, who's a much better fit for me."

"You think?" Selina asked. "And by the way, can I get you anything, or did you just come here to talk?"

"Conal is thinking about proposing marriage," Astrid said. "We talked about it and I'm thinking of accepting."

"No," Selina said, feeling her jaw drop. "Seriously. What about Alistair?"

"Didn't you hear me?" Astrid said. "I don't _care_ about Alistair anymore. He's just a fool who's been on the wrong side of the law for too long. Conal's never liked him. But now that Conal and I are gonna be married, everything will be just peachy."

"All right," Selina sighed. "Well, congratulations."

"Thank you," Astrid said. "I think I'll wait and tell Helene after the proposal is official. She is so attached to Alistair that all she's gonna do is kick up a fuss and try to stop me, so she won't hear about it until it's too late to do anything like that."

"And I assume you don't want me telling her either?" Selina asked.

"Yes, please," Astrid said. "I don't want Helene hearing it from _you_ either."

* * *

"Thank god for loopholes," Selina said to herself as she walked into Enid's and saw Roxie at the bar. "Is Enid around?" She asked her daughter. "I need to talk to her. It's an emergency like you wouldn't believe."

"Yeah?" Roxie said, her interest piqued. "What is it?"

"If Enid doesn't do something, and fast, Astrid is gonna be her new stepmother!" Selina said. "Astrid told me Conal is thinking of proposing to her!"

"But-seriously?" Roxie asked, looking amazed. "But what about Alistair?"

"I have no idea," Selina replied. "But Astrid doesn't seem to care about _him_ anymore. And she forced a promise out of me that _she_ would be the one to tell Helene all of this and nobody else."

"Poor Helene," Roxie said. "This'll crush her."

"What will crush who?" Enid asked as she came down to the main level of the bar with Owen on her heels.

"Astrid is about to be your new mommy," Roxie told her dryly. "Apparently, she and your dad have been talking about marriage."

"But my dad _loathes_ the idea of marriage!" Enid exclaimed. "I mean, Hazel's mother was the one he loved the most and she was only ever his highest-ranking mistress."

"Well, apparently, there's something about Astrid he likes," Roxie shrugged.

"And that means that Alistair will never be Alistair again," Selina said. "You have to do something to stop this, Enid. Please."

Enid sighed. "All right," she said after a moment. "Cause I agree that it wouldn't be healthy for Astrid _or_ Alistair. But before we take any action, we have to make a plan. My father won't just let us take Astrid away and leave him with no one. So we have to find someone to replace her. Someone flighty and a bit shallow, and not really into commitment. They should probably be a witch too."

"All right," Selina said. "When we come across anyone like that, we'll let you know."

"Good," Enid said. "And also, we can't cancel the wedding. We'll have to let it go on as planned and incorporate the plan into that."

"Interesting," Owen grinned. "And once you ruin your father's chance to get married, what do you say you and I do it in his stead?"

Enid turned, her jaw dropping a little. "You-You want to marry me?"

"I don't know why you're acting so shocked," Owen grinned. "Are you planning on saying 'no'?"

"Of course not!" Enid shook her head. "It's just that...it's sort of sudden."

"Sudden?" Owen kissed her. "Really?" Cause I think we're _long_ overdue." Then Enid looked at Roxie. "I know you're still pissed at me and you have every right to be, but...when Owen and I get married, could we have Addie and Joey there? Please?"

"All right," Roxie said. "But only if they want to be. If they agree, then it's all right with me."

"Thank you," Enid told her, giving her a hug that Roxie didn't return. "Thank you very much, Roxie."

* * *

"I'm so happy you didn't burst into tears when Laura graduated like you did at her wedding," Katherine said.

"I did _not _cry at Laura's wedding!" Gregory replied. "I just..."

"Let me guess," Katherine said. "Did you have allergies?"

"Why are you mocking me?" Gregory asked. "Is this some sort of revenge for bringing you to an event you found boring? Well, that's one of the things about being in my family: You have to _be_ in my family. You can't just stay home with Elizabeth all the time."

It was then that the babysitter, a teenage neighbor Elizabeth had taken a shine to, appeared. "Hello Gregory, Miss Katherine. How was the party?"

"It was great," Gregory told her and gave her forty dollars for her five hours' work. Then Katherine took Elizabeth, who was reaching eagerly for her mother, and smiled at her. "Finally, I get to have some intelligent conversation," she said once the girl had left.

"She's a year old," Gregory said dryly. "How can you have a more intelligent conversation with her than anyone else?"

"Well," Katherine grinned. "Let's just say we have a very bright daughter."

Gregory rolled his eyes and let Katherine carry Elizabeth away. He was about to go call Adrian when the doorbell rang. He opened the door, eyes widening in shock when he saw Adrian on the other side. "I was just about to call you," he said.

"Were you?" Adrian asked. "Now, what would you need me for?"

"Company," Gregory replied. "I mean, I love my wife, but sometimes she can be a bit...much."

"No kidding," Adrian replied, coming into the house. "Helene's like that too, but I love her anyway." He paused. "I don't know if you've ever met my wife. Do you want to?"

Gregory thought of Katherine wanting to bond alone with Elizabeth and thought it would be best to just give her what she wanted. "All right," he said. "Thank you, I'd love to." He then went to knock on Elizabeth's closed bedroom door.

"Another meeting with your family?" Katherine asked dryly.

"Well, yes," Gregory nodded. "But you don't have to come. Adrian stopped by and invited me to come visit his house and I just wanted to tell you that that's where I'm going."

"All right," Katherine nodded. "Thank you. Have a good evening." Then she shut the door and Gregory went back to Adrian. "All right," he said. "She knows I'm leaving. We can go."

"All right!" Adrian said. They got in his car and headed to his house, where Helene met them at the door.

"Hi," she said, shaking Gregory's hand. "You must be Gregory. I'm Helene. Adrian's told me a lot about you."

"Yes," Gregory nodded. "I'm his werewolf-vampire cousin-brother."

"Seriously?" Helene asked. "Well, that's complicated."

"But we have the same mom and our dads are related, and that's how it ends up...I think," Adrian told her.

"Well, it's nice to finally meet you," Helene told Gregory. "Why don't you come into the living room and we'll talk more?"

"This is a really nice place," Gregory observed. "But kind of...empty. Are you two planning on having children?"

Helene cleared her throat and Gregory noticed her stomach, which was just starting to show. "How nice," he said. "Will this be your first?"

"No," Helene replied. "Our third. We have complex relationships with our first two which are entirely our own faults, but we see them every once in awhile. What about you?"

"My wife and I adopted a little girl because Katherine is a made vampire who can't have children," Gregory said. "She was against the idea at first, but now she and Elizabeth are really close. A little too close I think sometimes."

"Really?" Helene asked. "Why?"

"Oh, I don't know," Gregory said. "Sometimes, she's just a questionable influence is all. A very questionable influence."

* * *

"So," Katherine said as she took Elizabeth to sit with her in the rocking chair. "What do you want to do now that your boring daddy is gone for the night? We can do whatever we want!" She paused, taking Elizabeth and putting her on her feet on the floor. "All right, sweetie. Go wherever you want, and Mommy will follow you."

Elizabeth smiled and began making tiny but quick steps toward Katherine and Gregory's bedroom, where she reached up toward the sink and Katherine lifted her up. The baby began picking things up out of her makeup bag and throwing them on the floor.

"All right," Katherine said when the bag was empty. "I think it's about time I show you all this stuff does, all right?" She picked up lipstick and put it on Elizabeth, followed by blush, and mascara. "There," she said. "You look so pretty!" She lifted the little girl so she could look at herself in the mirror, and then Elizabeth picked up her lipstick and began smearing it all over the walls.

"Oh, damn," Katherine said when she finally managed to get it away from her. When the lipstick was out of her grasp, Elizabeth burst out crying, which caused the mascara to run. "All right," Katherine said. "Let's just put the makeup away and go and watch TV, all right? But first, we have to get you cleaned up."

But Elizabeth refused to be cleaned up and finally, Katherine stopped struggling with her, taking her into the living room to await Gregory's reaction to what she and Elizabeth had done. She was sure it would be swift and unpleasant.

And she was right. The second he saw Elizabeth, Gregory's jaw dropped. "What did you do to my baby?" He asked, taking her in his arms. "Her eyes are all black. And her mouth is-"

"Oh, calm down," Katherine said to him. "It's just makeup."

"You put_ makeup _on her?" Gregory asked. "Katherine, how could you do that? She's too young!"

"It's not so bad," Katherine said. "I watched her the whole time. Including when she got lipstick all over the walls of our bedroom."

"What?!" Gregory asked again. He was practically pulling his hair out now. He gave Elizabeth back to Katherine and ran into the bedroom, letting out a stream of bad words that Katherine didn't even realize he knew.

"Now let's look on the bright side," she told him after he'd finished his tirade.

"What bright side could there be?" He asked, looking as if he was about to smack her. "Our bedroom is covered in lipstick! It'll take forever to wash off!"

"I can think of something positive right off," Katherine responded. "She may have gotten lipstick all over the walls, but at least Elizabeth didn't eat any of it. That's a good thing. Right?"

* * *

Margaret opened her eyes just after midnight one evening and let out a shriek when she noticed the dark shadow at the foot of her bed. She opened her mouth to let out a yell again, and felt a hand go over it. "Don't yell again," a voice whispered. "It's me, Henry. I promise I won't hurt you."

He lit up the room and Margaret looked at him in shock. "You're not supposed to be here," she said. "You'll get in trouble."

"I'm gonna go," Henry said, looking a little sad that she didn't want him to stay. "Will you at least wish me happy birthday first?"

"It's your birthday?" Margaret asked. "I didn't know that." She paused. "Or are you just saying that to get attention?"

At that point, Henry magicked a blower in his hand and blew it in Margaret's face. "It's true!" He said.

"Well, happy birthday," Margaret replied. "Now let me sleep. Good night."

"Fine," Henry sighed. "But I'll be happier for you on _your _birthday."

"Thank you," Margaret replied, facing away from him.

Sighing, Henry popped out of the room, leaving Margaret alone to sleep.

* * *

"Are you all right?" Elijah asked Margaret at breakfast several hours later.

"Yeah," Margaret nodded, pausing as she brought her cereal spoon to her mouth. "Why?"

"We heard noises in your room around midnight," Selina told her. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Oh, that's nothing," Margaret smiled. "It was just Henry. He came into my room cause he wanted me to tell him happy birthday. But he didn't stay very long. I told him that I wanted to sleep, so he left."

"Good," Elijah said. "Because having boys in your room can lead to trouble."

"What sort of trouble?" Margaret asked curiously.

"Yeah," Selina grinned as Elijah shifted uncomfortably. "Answer her question, Elijah. What trouble can happen to a seven-year-old girl who lets a seven-year-old boy in her room?"

"Well, I'm just making sure it doesn't become a habit," Elijah snapped. "Cause from the looks of Henry, I know we'll probably have potentially worrisome situations down the road.

"What _kind_ of worrisome situations?" Margaret pressed.

"Never mind," Elijah replied. "Eat your cereal and I'll tell you when you're older."

"Okay," Margaret replied, her eyes looking down toward her cereal bowl. Then, Selina turned her attention to Tristan. "Do we still need to pick up Emily for Henry's party?"

"Yes," Tristan nodded. "And she wanted me to tell you 'Thank you' from her father for driving her."

"It's no problem," Selina said. "I know he's a busy man."

"Would you chew with your mouth closed?" Elijah asked her, looking disgusted. "Think about what kind of an example you're setting."

"Sorry," Selina replied and closed her mouth. After the breakfast dishes had been put in the dishwasher, Margaret said, "Are we going to get Henry's present now, Mommy?"

"After you dress," Selina replied. "You don't want to go to the toy store in your PJs."

"No, I don't!" Margaret shook her head. "Cause daytime is for wearing _clothes_!" She ran off to get her bath started so Selina could help her wash her hair and Elijah chuckled. "Interesting that it's you who's teaching Margaret the 'wear clothes during the day' lesson, since you've been known to be too lazy to get out of _your_ pajamas until dark and just put on a new pair before you go to bed."

"I call it reveling in comfort," Selina replied. "It's just how I am."

"Yes," Elijah nodded. "But luckily for me, it's one of my great joys in life to get you out of those clothes and get you clean."

"Exactly," Selina nodded. "It's no fun to do it all by myself."

"The bath water is done running!" Margaret called. "Come on, Mommy!"

"All right," Selina said. "I'm coming, Margaret!" She gave Elijah a quick kiss and then ran to help Margaret.

When Tristan and Margaret were ready to go, Colin announced that he had to meet Valerie, which made Selina look at Elijah and say, "Are you gonna be all right here by yourself?"

Elijah nodded. "I think I'll be able to find something to do with myself."

"Good," Selina said. "But I promise I won't be gone long in any case." She took Tristan and Margaret to Henry's party and got out to talk to Lenora for a bit.

"Henry told me he paid a visit to your house this morning," Lenora told her apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, it's all right," Selina told her. "It doesn't seem like anything happened."

"I just wanted her to tell me 'happy birthday'," Henry explained to his mother. "That's _all_!"

Then, he ran off to join Margaret and looked her over. "You look pretty," he said. "You didn't have to dress up like that. No one else is."

"I know," Margaret told him. "But I _like_ to."

"Oh," Henry nodded. "Okay." Then Margaret gave him a hesitant smile and said, "Wanna see what I got you for a present?"

Henry looked at the pile of presents on the present table near the boat and said, "which one did you get me? One of the really _big_ ones?"

"I'm not talking about the presents on the table," Margaret told him. "I'm talking about _another_ present." She smiled. "Can you guess what it is?"

"No," Henry told her. "But I'm very excited!"

"All right," Margaret said shakily. "Shut your eyes."

Henry obeyed, and then Margaret took a deep breath and kissed him quick on the lips before flushing a bright scarlet and running away.

Henry opened his eyes and saw Margaret running away. He ran after her crying "Maggie, come back!" Finally, he got her to stop and he took her hand. "Are you okay?" He asked. "That was a nice kiss. Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said. "I couldn't do it longer."

"That's okay," Henry shrugged. "It's my _best_ present!"

"Really?" Margaret asked as she felt her face cool. "Well, good."

After that, Lenora called all the kids together for cake. Henry blew out his candles and then, much to Lenora's dismay, a grinning James came out with an old sword of his to use as a knife to cut the cake.

"Wow," Henry said, his eyes wide. "Daddy, can I have _that_ for a present?"

"No," James shook his head and pulled the sword against himself possessively. "This is mine. But we'll see about getting you one when you turn sixteen." Lenora frowned and then James backpedaled a little. "If it's all right with your mother, that is."

"Nice save," Lenora told him dryly.

"I know," James grinned and took her in his arms. "Wasn't it?"

"Hey, hey, hey," Lenora said when she felt his hand moving down toward her butt. "Not in front of all the kids, okay?"

"Fine," James grinned. "But how else shall I entertain myself?"

"Oh, I'm sure you can find a way," Lenora told him. He then grabbed a piece of cake and turned to go back into the house, but then paused and came to shove the cake in Lenora's face.

"Hey!" Lenora cried. "What did you do that for?"

"Food fight!" James cried.

Suddenly, all the baked treats Selina had made so carefully began flying through the air and getting in people's hair and on their clothes. Henry tossed stuff with enthusiasm until, covered with cake and frosting, he noticed Margaret struggling to avoid being hit by anything so it wouldn't ruin her clothes. He ran over and shielded her.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"I'm helping you keep your clothes clean!" Henry told her. "But you really shouldn't wear nice dresses to my birthday parties anymore."

"All right," Margaret said as cake and pie flew around them. "I'll remember that."

* * *

"I can't believe you started a food fight at Henry's party!" Lenora scolded James later. "What were you thinking? You're as bad as those kids!"

"Oh, come on!" James said and took a piece of cake out of her hair. "The kids had a great time. What are you being so uptight about?"

"Well, I don't know!" Lenora cried. "Why don't you just _look_ at me!"

"All right," James said, his gaze sweeping his body. "You definitely look all right to me."

"I'm covered in fucking cake!" Lenora cried.

James chuckled. "So you are," he said. "And what do you intend to do about that?"

"Well, I don't know!" Lenora shouted back.

"Why don't you take a shower?" James asked.

"I could," Lenora replied.

"And since it's entirely my fault that you look like this," James waved his hand in the direction of her body, "I could help you."

"Or," Lenora grinned and zapped herself clean. "I could do that. What do you think?"

"Damn," James pouted. "That's no fun."

"Well, I'm sorry," Lenora replied. Then she zapped up a good-sized piece of cake and shoved it in his face. "How about that?" She asked. "Was_ that _fun?"

James wiped frosting off his face and and then licked it off his finger. "Oh, that's tasty," he said. "It's a real shame you went and magicked yourself clean. My mother was a witch, you know, and despite that, she did everything by hand."

"Well, that's because if she didn't, she'd get burned at the stake," Lenora responded dryly. "Am I right?"

"True," James replied. "But if my mother could do things by hand, it certainly wouldn't hurt you."

"Well, your mother seems like an absolute saint," Lenora replied. "She'd probably consider it a fortunate thing that that flu or whatever it was carried her off before she could see all the trouble you caused."

"Oh, she knew about that," James admitted. "I've always been that way."

"And while we're on the subject," Lenora continued. "No swords for Henry, ever. He'll probably end up thinking it's something to play with and end up chopping off an arm, or something."

"Well, all right," James replied and started removing his shirt. "No swords for Henry. But what do you say we play with mine for a bit?" He asked and then unzipped his pants.

Lenora rolled her eyes. "You're impossible, you know that?" She asked as she went into his arms."

"Yes," James nodded and kissed her. "I love you too."


	23. Ways To Show Love

Selina was frosting some cupcakes when she felt arms encircle her waist. She let out a brief shriek, turning around and blindly squirting the tube of pink frosting in the direction of whomever had grabbed her. Then, she opened her eyes and burst out laughing cause Elijah had it all over his face and in his hair. "Oh, my god," she said. "I'm so sorry!"

"Sure you aren't," Elijah replied, putting her over his shoulder. "But right now, I'm too happy to care."

Selina looked down and saw that he was shirtless, barefoot, and in his jeans again. "So, what's the special occasion?" She asked. "Has our little tiff about Alistair and Astrid come to an end?"

"Maybe not," Elijah told her. "But I'm feeling happy enough to forgive you. I finally found a way to get my father off our backs."

"Really?" Selina asked. "What did you do?"

"Simple," Elijah replied as he strode into the bedroom. "I suggested he go visit my brother, Kol. Surely, Kol's done something that's made him more worthy of my father's attention than myself."

"You know, that's a very dirty trick," Selina told him. He grinned and unzipped his pants. "Not compared to some others I know," he said. "Let me show them to you."

Selina grinned, put her arms around Elijah's neck and said, "Okay."

He kissed her as he pulled off her shirt and bra, and then reluctantly paused so he could remove her skirt and her panties. Then, he kissed her again, down her neck and onto her collarbone before greedily sucking on her nipples. The slight but pleasant pain shot through her body and made her gasp.

Hearing her gasp made Elijah smile and he took her in his arms to kiss her before he pushed into her and she giggled, crying out "Yes!" at the top of her lungs, over and over again. Afterward, they lay beside each other, panting as he massaged her inner thighs.

"Did you _seriously_ set your father on your brother?" Selina asked Elijah. "Don't you think that's a little harsh?"

"No," Elijah shook his head. "I don't think it's harsh at all. Father always needs someone to bother and I think we've put in our fair share of time. Now it's someone else's turn to suffer."

"You're such a giving brother," Selina giggled.

Just then, the phone rang, Elijah got up and went to grab his robe when it stopped ringing. Apparently, someone else had gotten it. "Well, that was nice," Elijah said. He and Selina resumed kissing until there was a knock at the door. Then, both of them grabbed their robes, put them on, and invited the person in.

"Here's the phone," Margaret said as she held it out. She'd meant to give it to them right away, but she'd felt it necessary to tell Annaliese about her kiss with Henry and didn't want her daddy to know about that yet. "It's Annaliese, wondering when you're gonna pick her up from school."

"All right," Elijah nodded, taking the phone. "Thank you, darling."

"You're welcome," Margaret replied, and strode from the room. Elijah and Selina then talked to Annaliese about her last months of school before promising to come and pick her up the next day. Then, Elijah went to hang up the phone, still chuckling to himself about the probable look on Kol's face when their father showed up at his front door.

* * *

"So what are you planning to do with yourself now that school's over and until you start beauty school?" Edward asked Laura as he watched her try and paint her toenails.

"Well, I don't know," she replied. "There are some really awesome workout classes at the gym down the street. I was thinking of signing up for one of those until the baby comes."

"Are you sure workout classes are a good idea?" Edward asked. "It might put too much strain on you."

"It won't, I promise," Laura replied. "The classes I would be looking at are the ones designed specifically for pregnant women, so I wouldn't end up overexerting or hurting myself. Plus, I don't want to use pregnancy as an excuse to let myself go. It'll only be harder to lose the weight after I do that."

"Well, all right," Edward sighed. "If you feel that's the right thing to do."

"And you think I'm wrong, even though I'm the one who knows how I feel better than you do?" Laura asked. "It's sweet that you worry, babe, but honestly, you'll end up killing yourself. Relax, okay? And if there's something to worry about, I _swear_ I'll let you know."

"All right," Edward replied. "I-I'll try to lighten up."

"Good," Laura replied. "Cause being so tense all the time isn't good for a person!" She continued to try and paint her toenails with some difficulty, then Edward finally got down on his knees in front of her. "Do you want me to just do that for you?" He asked her.

"Oh, you don't have to," Laura replied. "I can manage."

"Really?" Edward asked. "Cause it looks like you're struggling."

Laura looked into his earnest face and slowly handed the nail polish bottle to him. "Thank you," she said.

Edward nodded and took it, deftly painting the toes she still hadn't done yet, then putting the lid back on the bottle. "Anything else I can do for you?" He asked.

Laura shook her head. "Not that I can think of."

"Do you need me to drive you to work later?"

"No," Laura replied. "The bar's been closed ever since Enid left with Owen and probably will be until Roxie, who manages the place now, can rework everyone's schedules."

"All right," Edward replied. "I'm gonna go read. Yell at me if you need anything."

"All right," Laura replied, watching him go. She'd never tell him, but ever since he'd activated his gene and had to turn once a month, she'd worried about him. He wasn't the overly macho jock type of werewolf that activated their gene, and every transformation, even the ones after the first, had been difficult on him. She'd thought about asking Enid if there was a potion she had to deactivate it, but now that Enid was gone, the chance was lost.

After her toenails were dry, she walked over to the phone and called the bar. "Enid's," came Roxie's surprisingly cheerful voice. "If you're calling to ask about the work schedule, it'll take me at least another week or so to work out. If you're calling about when we're gonna reopen, the previous statement should answer that question."

"Roxie, is that you?" Laura asked. "Or is this a message on a machine?"

"No, it's me," Roxie replied. "And you are the last person I'd expect to call here. I thought you'd enjoy having time off."

"Not really," Laura replied. "I'm working on finding ways to occupy my time though. What I was calling about was if Enid left any magic stuff at the bar, or if she took it all with her."

"'Magic stuff'?" Roxie asked. "What would you need Enid's magic for? To find out whether the kid you're gonna have is a boy or a girl?"

"No, we're gonna be surprised when it comes to that," Laura replied. "What I want is something that will deactivate Edward's gene."

There was silence on the other end of the line, then a sigh. "I don't know what to tell you about that," Roxie finally said apologetically. "That seems like pretty strong magic, so if Enid _had_ something like that, I bet she took it with her when she left."

"All right," Laura nodded. "Thanks for your help anyway."

"Why are you asking?" Roxie asked. "Is Edward having trouble with his transformations?"

"Well, there hasn't been any problem so far," Laura said. "But he's worn out and sick after every transformation. I don't think he's strong enough to handle it long term, so it's something I want to be able to relieve him of, especially with the baby coming. He doesn't need the extra stress."

"I'm sure he doesn't," Roxie replied. "But I'm sorry. I don't know what to tell you."

"I know," Laura sighed. "Thanks for listening, though."

"You're welcome," Roxie replied. "And I'll call you when work starts up again. You just tell me what you can do and what you can't." She then hung up and Laura went to talk to Edward. As soon as she came in the room, he put his book down and motioned for her to come sit next to him on the bed.

"What's going on?" He asked. "What do you need?"

"Nothing," Laura replied. "I just came in to talk to you."

"All right," Edward replied. "What about?"

"I've been worried about you ever since you first transformed," Laura confessed. "I swore I wouldn't say anything because you seemed okay with it, but do you realize how sick you get after every transformation? Don't you wish all that would stop?"

"Yes," Edward admitted after a moment. "But there's nothing we can do now that Enid is gone. I can put up with it. I swear. Don't trouble yourself."

"Why not?" Laura replied. "It makes me sad to see you get so sick because of something that shouldn't have happened in the first place. It wasn't your fault that fucking deer pranced onto the road. You didn't mean to kill those people and you shouldn't be punished for it. It's not fair."

"Well, not everything in life is," Edward replied sadly and took her in his arms. "We just have to take what we're dealt and do the best we can with it."

"But," Laura said, "if there was a way to stop you from transforming and it was in reach, would you let me get it for you? Would you get it for yourself?"

"Yes," Edward replied and kissed the top of her head. "But there _is_ no such thing, so don't let yourself get all worked up over nothing."

"All right," Laura replied. "I won't. I promise."

* * *

But despite her promise, she couldn't let it go. The next day, she called Addie, "You know how Enid is your mom?" She asked.

"Yeah," Addie replied. "What about it?"

"Did she..did she leave you an address when she left with Owen?" Laura asked. "I-I really need to ask her about a spell for Edward. To deactivate his gene."

"Well, I hate to tell you that she didn't give us a specific address," Addie said. "But she told us she'd send us post cards and once I get one, I'll give you the address of where it came from. I'm not guaranteeing that it'll work, but it's something."

"Yes, it is," Laura replied gratefully. "Thank you, Addie. Thank you very much."

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," Alistair told Astrid from his hospital bed. "I was possessed by Conal again."

"Yep," Astrid nodded. "You were. and because of that, I briefly lost my job at the Council, but now I have it back again."

"Anything else important happen?" Alistair asked, poking his Jell-O with a fork and wishing he was somewhere else. "Did I...did I propose marriage to another woman while I was possessed? When I came to, I saw a strange brunette in a wedding dress."

"There was a proposal made," Astrid said carefully.

Alistair looked sick upon hearing this news and took Astrid in his arms. "Oh, you poor dear," he said. "Having to see me gallivant around with other women while you wait steadfastly by my side! I am a lucky man to have such a patient, loving, and faithful wife."

Astrid had resolved not to tell Alistair about what had happened between her and Conal, but hearing her husband extoll her faithfulness with she had in fact been *unfaithful* was just too much. She sighed and said, "it wasn't you that had the affair. It was me. Conal took an interest in me while he was in your body, and he told me that he would kill both of us if I didn't..." She began to sob and couldn't finish the sentence as Alistair stared at her, shocked. "Didn't _what_?" He asked.

"Don't make me finish the sentence, Alistair, please." Astrid begged. "I'm ashamed enough as it is."

"I remember one night I woke up and I was in bed with you," Alistair said. "We were both naked but I didn't remember undressing or anything like that. Are you telling me it was because prior to me momentarily being aware, you were basically sleeping with Conal and not me?"

"Yes," Astrid nodded, her tears stopping and her expression becoming firm. "That's true. But didn't you hear me say that Conal would have killed both of us if I hadn't given in to his advances? Is fidelity so important to you that you'd rather we'd died?"

"If that meant that you remained faithful to me, yes!" Alistair cried. "I thought we had a good relationship, Astrid. I thought you cared about me!"

"I _do_ care about you!" Astrid replied. "Which is why I did everything I could to keep you alive, you idiot! If you want to feel betrayed and play the martyr, fine. But I'm not gonna admit that I did anything wrong because I didn't. I did what I had to do, and that's all."

"Fine," Alistair replied. "If that's how things are going to be, if you choose not to feel the least bit repentant about breaking my heart, I want you out of our house by the time I get out of the hospital. Find your own place and you can have all the orgies you want, but you won't be having any more in our bed."

Astrid felt her lip tremble, but over her dead body was she gonna feel bad about doing the right thing. "All right, Alistair," she said quietly. "I guess I have no choice but to respect your decision. I'm sorry we couldn't work this out. But I'm going to miss you."

"You lie," Alistair said quietly, his eyes narrowed. "Now, get out of my sight."

* * *

Despite how sure he'd seemed initially about his break up with Astrid, after the passion of the moment wore off, he was less sure.

"I don't think I should forgive her," He told Elijah. He'd headed to his friend's house the second he'd been let out of the hospital. "I mean she _did_ cheat on me."

"That's true," Elijah replied. "She did. She even confessed to it."

"She claimed it was for my own good, but I think she was just making excuses," Alistair continued. "And I shouldn't have to put up with that."

"No," Elijah shook his head. "You shouldn't. So, is she still living with you? I would assume not."

"Of course not," Alistair replied. "I told her she had to move out of our house by the time I got out of the hospital. I haven't checked to see if she's gone yet because I came straight here after I was released, but I'm going to check after we're done here."

"Well, would you like me to come with you?" Elijah asked. "I'd be happy to."

"All right," Alistair nodded. "I think I'd appreciate the company, thank you. Only, I don't think Selina should know where we're going."

"Oh, of course not," Elijah agreed. "She kicked up enough of a fuss when she first found out about Astrid cheating. She's going to react even worse if she finds out that you've ended your relationship with Astrid because of it. She thought what Astrid did was completely justified."

"Well, based on how she treated you in the past, I'm not surprised," Alistair replied dryly.

They stared at each other for a moment and then both rose at the same time. "Are you ready to go?" Elijah asked Alistair.

Alistair took a breath and nodded. "Let's go to my house and get the examination over with."

Before they left, Elijah peered out the door and into the hallway, praying that Selina wouldn't pop up, as she often did at inopportune moments. Then, he remembered that she was gone watching one of Colin's many sporting events. "Selina is gone," He told Alistair. "We should be able to get out of here without trouble."

And he was right. They got away from the house and drove to Alistair and Astrid's, which seemed desolate and lonely. They went inside and it was quiet. Clearly, Astrid had listened and kept her word.

"So, now that you have this house to yourself," Elijah asked after they looked in every room, "How are you going to occupy your time?"

"I don't know," Alistair shrugged. "But I bet I'll be able to think of something."


	24. Commitment

Laura tried and tried to keep her mind off of Edward and his transformations, but when the night of the next full moon arrived and Edward prepared to go off to Enid's, she ran and blocked the door.

"You can't leave!" She cried. "You just can't! I won't have you turning in a place where you're all alone again! It's making you sick and you have no idea why."

"It's nothing to worry about," Edward told her. "It probably happens to everyone." He tried to move her aside. "Let me leave, please Laura."

"No," Laura shook her head firmly. "Mom has an uncle, he knows all about this stuff. I'll take you to him instead, you can transform there, and then afterward, he'll figure out what's wrong with you."

Edward really didn't want to listen to her, but he also couldn't afford the strength it would take to argue with her. It took nearly all he had just to transform.

"All right," he sighed. "I'll get in the car with you and go to your uncle's, but I have no idea what good it will do."

"Well," Laura replied. "It might help. Think positive, would ya?"

* * *

"Who are you?" Diana asked as she opened the door of Jake's house and looked suspiciously at Laura and Edward.

"We're here to see Jake," Laura replied. "Can we come in? Is he here?"

But Diana still wouldn't budge. "What do you want with Jake?" She asked. "It's not a good day for him to have visitors. In fact, it would probably be best for you to turn on your heels and leave."

When Laura refused to move, Diana let out a growl and was about to snap at the other girl when she paused at the touch of Joey's hand on her shoulder. "Laura? Edward? What are you two doing here?"

"You know them?" Diana asked in surprise, moving Joey's hand from her shoulder and stepping back.

"Yeah," Joey replied. "We're related."

"Oh," Diana replied and looked apologetically at Laura. "Sorry. Come in."

"Thank you," Laura replied. "I just...I thought Edward could transform here tonight. And then he always gets sick afterward, so I thought Jake would know of something to cure him."

"He gets sick after transforming?" Joey asked.

"Yeah," Laura nodded. "What?" She asked when she saw the change in Diana's face.

"Oh, nothing," Diana replied. "Really. He'll be fine."

"You know something, don't you?" Laura asked. "Whatever it is, tell me, please."

Diana struggled with saying anything, so Laura looked at Joey. "Can you tell me what she won't?" She asked him.

"No," Joey shook his head. "Sorry. I'm just as clueless as you."

Just then, Jake came into the room. "Laura!" He said. "Edward! What brings the pair of you here?"

"She says transforming makes Edward sick," Diana told him. "And she wonders if you can fix it."

"He gets sick after he transforms?" Jake asked, eyebrow raised. "Seriously?"

"Is that weird?" Laura asked. "Please tell us you can fix it."

"Oh, I can fix it," Jake assured her. "It's nothing serious. But it's rare to find post-transformation illness in an active werewolf."

"Why?" Laura asked.

"Because the sickness occurs when an initiated werewolf is not psychologically and/or physically prepared for the transformation," Jake replied. He looked at Edward. "Did you come from a werewolf family that was fully aware of their heritage?"

"Yes, sir," Edward nodded. "All my brothers are really athletic, muscular jock types. I became a scholar and my father didn't think I needed the training he gave everyone else cause he knew that I was too wimpy to ever activate my gene. I guess it never occurred to him that it might happen on accident."

"Makes sense," Jake nodded. "Purely intellectual werewolves are rare beings. Most grow up to be sporty jock types, so they get the physical work out naturally, and then someone gives them the psychological later, or else that is something they acquire as their transformations go along and they learn to deal with them. The only reason _I _knew about any of this was because of the research I did prior to my own transformation."

"So...you think you can help Edward with that too?" Laura asked hopefully.

"Sure," Jake assured her. "But it's gonna take time. I just can't make it happen overnight. We'll do what we can to start getting him ready physically today, and that might minimize the sickness he'll feel after the transformation ends tonight."

"All right," Edward nodded after a few seconds. "Let's get started. I'm ready." He and Jake spent the rest of the day lifting weights and doing other types of exercise in the yard while Joey and Diana talked to Laura.

"I hope what Jake is saying will actually work," she said. "I don't want Edward to die."

"He wouldn't _die_," Diana told her.

"All right," Laura replied. "But I don't like seeing him sick either. It's kind of stressful."

"And you're pregnant, right?" Diana asked. "So stress is probably something you can do without."

"Yeah, I'm pregnant," Laura nodded. "And I wish I was further along, if you get what I mean."

"Do you still talk with Edward's parents?" Diana asked. "How do they feel about him marrying a non-werewolf?"

"Probably the same way your parents would feel about you being with Joey if they knew," Laura replied. "I met them once and I have no intention of doing it ever again. Edward's bonded with my father instead, which is a good thing...except for sometimes. They can be a bit much when they're together."

"We haven't exactly told my father we're together," Diana replied. "His mom and dad know, but my dad doesn't. Or his stupid girlfriend. She's the same age as me and I hate her. He's so involved with her, I highly doubt he's noticed that Joey and I left forever ago and haven't come back."

"My daddy's the overprotective type," Laura told her. "He wouldn't even let me work at the _bar_ until my mom convinced him it was safe."

"You worked at Enid's?" Diana asked her. "Wow. I always wanted to, but my dad's kind of obsessed with being 'off the grid' you know. It's a pain in the ass."

"I'm sorry," Laura replied.

* * *

The conversation continued until nightfall when both Edward and Diana had to follow Jake into the basement so they could transform, leaving Laura and Joey to talk to each other.

"How's your mom?" Laura asked him. "Has she been handling this whole 'you not actually being her kid' thing well? Mom decided to throw her a party and that went well, I heard. Well, at least til an uncle of ours showed up."

"I honestly haven't talked to her much since I found out about everything," Joey replied. "She was given ownership of the bar with Aunt Enid being gone and everything, so hopefully, she throws herself into that and doesn't have a lot of time to think about things that make her angry or upset."

"I hope that for her too," Laura replied. They both heard the growling and noises from the basement and Laura wanted so badly to go down and see if Edward was okay, but Joey held on to her. "Stay here," he urged. "By now, there's really nothing you can do." So, despite the fact that it hurt her inside, Laura stayed upstairs, watching the door to the basement without blinking until Jake helped a struggling Edward up the stairs with Diana bringing up the rear.

"The workout didn't seem to do much good," Laura observed as she ran over to Edward, who was sweating profusely and looking like he was about to pass out.

"We need to get him to bed," Jake replied. "Diana, take his other side, would you?"

"Sure," Diana replied and grabbed Edward's hand so that she and Jake could get Edward up to bed. When he was settled, Laura went up to see him.

"You feel like hell, don't you?" She asked him as she pushed his sweaty hair out of his eyes.

"Kind of, yes," Edward nodded and coughed.

"Well, you should get some sleep," Laura replied. "It looks like the transformation took a lot out of you."

A sudden twinkle showed in Edward's eyes. "You know," he said. "I think I'd sleep a lot better if you were here in bed with me."

"Nice try, Mister," Laura said, although she smiled. "I don't want to be a distraction to you. You don't need any of those."

"Says who?" Edward asked, struggling to sit up so he could get a better view of her butt as she strode to the door.

"I do," Laura said firmly before she closed the door. "Goodnight, Edward."

"Good night," Edward said half-heartedly. Then Laura blew him a kiss, turned off the light, and shut the door.

* * *

"That was some rush," Diana said as she came into Joey's room and began undressing. "But then again, transforming always is."

"What are you doing?" Joey asked her. "Why are you here? You have your own room!"

"Well," Diana grinned as, naked, she climbed into bed beside him. "I thought it would be more fun to sleep with _you_ tonight. We've never done it before, and I think tonight is as good a time as any."

Joey looked over her body and felt his whole body go warm. Her eyes were full of desire. She clearly wanted him. She leaned forward to kiss him, but he pushed her away. "I can't!" He cried. "Sorry." He then turned around and refused to face her.

"What's the matter?" She prodded, her hand creeping in his boxers. "Don't you want me?"

"Yes!" Joey replied. "But why the hell would you want me? If you weren't all messed up from being turned, you wouldn't want me at all because I'm a guy with a bum leg! There are tons of buff, sexy werewolf guys out there. Go have sex with one of them, _please!_"

But instead of leaving, Diana just put her arm around his middle. "I think I'll stay here," she said. "And we don't have to have any fun until you're ready. Cause I don't want anyone else, Joey. I want _you_."

* * *

Elijah looked up as Selina flung his office door open and strode in.

"Yes?" He asked calmly, despite the fact that she was obviously enraged. "How can I help you?"

"When were you planning on telling me that Alistair had banished Astrid to another house?" She asked. He could practically see the steam coming out of her nostrils.

"I didn't think you cared about that," Elijah replied. "After all, wasn't it you who said we shouldn't get involved in Astrid and Alistair's personal affairs?"

"How could he dump her just like that?!" Selina asked. "She loves him!"

"I refuse to visit this subject again," Elijah said firmly. "I know what you're gonna say, and you know what _I'm_ gonna say, so to go through all that again is just pointless. Now, kindly remove yourself from my office."

"Fine," Selina replied. "I'm gonna go see Astrid. Goodbye!"

After she was gone, Elijah looked up and chuckled. Such a flair for the dramatic his Selina had. It really was adorable at times, and at other times, incredibly irritating. Right now, he wasn't sure whether this case would be the former or the latter.

* * *

Just as Selina got outside the house, she realized that she had no idea where Astrid had gone. She called Adrian to see if he or Helene had heard from her.

"Yeah," Adrian replied. "She's at our house, actually. Says she wants to be with us until the baby's born. She seems to think if I'm not watched 24/7, I'll run off again. Now tell me, do you think that's fair?"

"Well, given what happened last time," Selina replied, "I don't blame her for being a little nervous. You don't plan to run off, do you?"

"And this from my own mother, too!" Adrian sighed. "No, I don't."

"Do you mind if I come over?" Selina asked. "Or have you reached your limit for company?"

"No, you can come," Adrian replied. "Be my guest."

So Selina went over to Adrian and Helene's where she found Astrid fussing over her daughter.

"It's all right, Mom," Helene was insisting as Astrid was covering her up with blankets and continually bringing her food to eat. "I promise, I'm fine."

"I don't know," Astrid replied. "Maybe it would be best for you not to exert yourself too much."

"This is the third time I've been pregnant, Mom," Helene replied impatiently. "I know how to take care of myself." She then frowned when she saw Adrian chuckle. "And just _what_ is so funny?"

"It's just fun to watch this when it's happening to you and not to me," Adrian told her. "It's like looking in a mirror, only, your mom is playing the part of you, and you're being me."

Helene just narrowed her eyes at him and blew a raspberry in his direction.

"I might be able to help," Selina got out, since Astrid hadn't noticed her before. "Astrid, you wanna talk? Maybe give the kids some time to themselves?"

"All right," Astrid sighed and then gave Adrian a look. "But you better watch her closely and don't you run off while I'm gone."

"All right," Adrian replied. "I will."

So Selina and Astrid went to another part of the house, Astrid zapped them both up a drink, and they started to talk. "How are you doing?" Selina asked her. "I mean, I just found out about you and Alistair."

Astrid sighed. "I only did what I did cause I didn't want him to get killed. But apparently, he took offense at my methods. Now he's got the house to himself and I can't imagine what he's doing there."

"Alistair?" Selina asked. "Nothing you'd have to worry about, I don't think. You know how your house has that big library in it? I bet he sat himself down there and is using the peace and quiet to read every book you own."

"What if he decides to go after another woman?" Astrid asked. "I know there's only a slim chance of it happening, but with how mad he is, I can just imagine him going out and getting another woman just so he can throw it in my face."

"Are you thinking of dating again?" Selina asked.

"Me?" Astrid asked, eyes wide. "After what happened between me and Conal that led to this big mess? Heavens no. I'll just stay here with the kids when I'm not working at the council. Put all my attention into being a grandmother again and maybe-maybe I won't miss Alistair so much, then."

"I tried that tactic at one point," Selina replied. "In the late nineteenth century, right after Elijah's brother Alexander, who just happened to be my first husband, left me. I spent some time alone, then Joshua showed up and we connected. He invited me to live with him and his wife and kids, who accepted me despite the fact that they were humans and I was a vampire. It was a nice enough arrangement, I suppose. But there _were_ times I got lonely."

Astrid nodded. "I know there'll probably be lonely times for me, too. But it's what I deserve, isn't it?"

"No," Selina shook her head and put a hand on Astrid's shoulder. "It's not what you deserve at all. But if it's the only way to get your thickheaded husband back, it's what you'll have to do."

"Do you _really_ think he'll want to come back to me?" Astrid asked.

"Yes," Selina nodded. "You two...you have one of the best relationships I know of. This is just a rut. Whomever Alistair is with now, he'll get sick of them, and sooner or later, he'll come back to you."


	25. In Search Of A Runaway

After a few months, it was July, and Laura felt like she wanted to die.

"Why can't seven months be the right length for pregnancy?" She groaned. "This is just horrible!"

"Whenever you're upset, think of your mother," Edward advised. "And be grateful that you aren't having triplets." But he helped her back to the sofa and got her a bottle of water. "You know, a lack of morning sickness doesn't compensate for all the other crap I have to go through right now," Laura complained. "I hate this so much!"

"Only two more months," Edward told her. "Just hold on to that."

"That's probably what you're doing too, right?" Laura asked.

Edward thought it would be best not to answer that question, and instead sat down at the piano and began playing Laura some soothing music, hoping that it would help get her mind off her discomfort. Eventually, she dozed off and Edward put a blanket over her. He then turned around to see Jake's girlfriend Sherry standing behind him.

"Oh, hello," he said.

"Hi," Sherry replied. "If you want to go out and do something, I can watch Laura."

"Are you sure?" Edward asked.

"Yeah, no problem," Sherry replied. "You go on."

Edward nodded and went to give Laura a kiss on her forehead before he went to see Jake so they could work on his fitness.

"I like Sherry," he said to Jake. "Have you told her the truth about you? You know, what we are? I'm gonna presume you haven't, since you sent her off to the movies and told her not to come back until later."

"I'm gonna tell her at some point," Jake said uncomfortably. "It's just that...she's human, you know? And I don't know how she'll handle finding out she's involved with a werewolf. You're lucky with Laura. It's not a shock to her at all."

Edward scoffed. "It was a shock to her father. He didn't take the news well. Thank god for Laura's mother."

"It's interesting," Jake replied. "I didn't meet Selina when she was alive. I died way before that. But I would have liked to have known her then. She was quite a handful for her mother."

Edward nodded. "She and Laura seem very similar, so I can imagine," he said with a fond grin. He then grabbed a couple of weights and began doing curls.

"How have you been feeling lately?" Jake asked. "Okay? I want to make sure that what we're doing is working, or if I need to adjust it."

"No, I'm good," Edward replied.

"All right," Jake nodded. "Perfect."

* * *

After his workout, he went to take a shower, and when he came out, towel wrapped around his waist, he started when he saw Laura sitting on the bed with a grin on her face. "Were you seriously about to cover up when you saw me?" She grinned. "I really don't get you sometimes, Edward."

"Yes, well," Edward grabbed some underwear and a pair of slacks, putting them on underneath the towel and then pulling the towel away. "There," he said. Laura groaned. "You know, you're really depriving me of a good view."

"You'll have plenty of time to get a good view later," Edward said. "How was your nap?"

"It was okay," Laura replied. "Very refreshing."

"I hope you'll still be tired enough to fall asleep tonight," Edward told her. "Instead of lying awake for hours."

"Oh, that's not a problem," Laura replied. "If I _do_ stay awake, you'll know how to tire me out, right?"

"I should have known," Edward sighed. "You're keeping yourself awake on purpose. It's part of a plot!" But he grinned and came to give her a kiss anyway. "Don't worry," he said. "I'll help you fall asleep tonight."

* * *

However, not everyone in the house slept as well. After Diana and Joey had settled in for the night, and were sleeping soundly, they were abruptly awakened by the sound of their bedroom window breaking. Diana felt someone grab her, and as she struggled against that person, the lights came on and Jake said, "What the hell is going on here?"

"Nothing," the woman who was holding Diana with a hand over her mouth said. "Just looking for a runaway is all. It's none of your business."

Then Diana shoved her elbow into the woman's gut and was let go, panting. "You touch me again, Hayley," she panted. "And I _swear_..."

"Who _is_ this?" Joey asked.

"It's my father's..._girlfriend_, to use the term loosely," Diana replied, then turned her attention to the skinny, dark-eyed woman. "What do you want, Hayley?"

"Your father wants me to bring you home," Hayley replied. "He's scared to death about your running away. He said you were holed up somewhere with a Talbot."

"Technically, I'm not a Talbot," Joey corrected her. "Enid, your BOSS, is my real mom, so if you have a problem with Diana and me, take it up with her and leave us alone!"

"Stay out of this!" Hayley commanded. "It's none of your business." She then glared at Diana. "I'm going to stay here until you come with me," she said. "Your father didn't want me to come back empty-handed.

When she heard that, Diana sighed. Her father was known to use his fists on people who displeased him, and although she hated this woman with every fiber of her being, she didn't want to see her get hurt. "All right," she said. "I'll come peacefully as long as Joey gets to come too, and we don't leave until tomorrow, after I've had time to say 'Goodbye' to everyone."

Hayley rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said. "But no more stalling after that."

"All right," Diana replied. "I promise."

Hayley boosted herself in through the window and said, "I don't know where I'm gonna sleep."

Just then, Joey zapped in a pillow, blanket, and air mattress. "There," he said. "Goodnight."

"Thank you," Hayley replied, surprised by the act of kindness. "Good night."

* * *

"Remind me why you wanted me to come out with you again?" Elijah asked Alistair.

"Cause you have to help me find a woman!" Alistair replied. "I've been keeping to myself ever since I threw Astrid out and now I want to see what's out there."

Elijah sighed as Alistair parked in the parking lot of the strip club. "You know that I support you wanting to teach Astrid a lesson, but do you _really _think that this is the best way to do it? And while I value our friendship, I really think you should have brought Niklaus to do this with you."

"I don't know," Alistair replied. "You're not such a bad wingman. And I've heard that this place has some rather attractive young ladies in it."

Oh, god help me, Elijah thought to himself as Alistair dragged him through the door, the warlock's eyes widening at the scantily clad woman. One of the servers caught his eye, gave him a wink, and then came over to them. "What can I do for you boys?" She asked.

It took awhile for Alistair to answer cause his eyes were focused on her chest, and he only moved them upward when Elijah cleared his throat and gave him a nudge. "We'd like table," Alistair got out.

"Well, all right, handsome," the waitress replied. "You two cuties just come right this way."

They followed her and Elijah whispered to Alistair, "If anything bad happens, I'm holding _you_ responsible. Remember, Selina was Lonely Heart once and the slightest _hint _of betrayal could ruin the stable woman I've worked so hard to make her over the years."

"Oh, _relax_ and don't be such a killjoy!" Alistair said, slapping Elijah on the back, ordering two beers for himself. "This is supposed to be fun and it can't be if you're worrying all the time."

"Oh, all right," Elijah replied. The beers were brought and Alistair pushed one toward Elijah. "Drink up," he said, and then told the waitress, just keep them coming. She nodded and headed off.

Elijah stared at the beer with a sick feeling. This had happened with Niklaus before, and it had never ended well. Shutting his eyes, he drank his beer slowly, instead of gulping it down, and tried his best to avoid the gyrating women on the stage. When _that_ failed to work, he sighed and sait to Selina, "I'm sorry, dear. I'm sorry," locked his eyes on the stage, and didn't look away.

* * *

After the show, Elijah went with Alistair (and a date he'd picked up) to the car, and they drove him home. Because it was already darkening outside, Elijah hoped that he would just be able to sneak in without having to explain anything to Selina. He came in, and since he didn't see her right away, thought he was home free. But when he came into the living room, he heard her clear her throat and look up from the crossword puzzle she was doing. "Hey," she said with a smile. "How did things go with Alistair? You must've had a good time, since you were gone for so long." Then she came over to hug him, and when Elijah wouldn't hug back, she looked at him with concern. "Are you all right?" She asked. "What's the matter?"

"Oh, nothing," Elijah said quickly. "I'm just...tired, is all. Good night!" He then started to stride quickly away. Selina ran after him. "Wait just a minute now!" She said. "I want to know what you did! Tell me, please. Unless it's something that I should be suspicious of..." her eyes narrowed.

"No!" Elijah said. "Alistair and I...he took me to a strip club, okay? I didn't enjoy it! It was a miserable experience. Please don't be mad and go out and kill someone cause you think I don't love you anymore."

Selina just gave him a long look and then burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Elijah asked.

"Oh, nothing," Selina grinned. "I'm just trying to picture you and Alistair together at a strip club and it's just...it's hilarious. I think I'll have to tell Astrid the next time I see her. Why'd he go with you and not your brother?"

"I don't know," Elijah replied. "And_ believe me, _I suggested it."

"I'm not surprised," Selina replied. "Now, how would you like to recover from what I presume was a less than pleasant experience?"

Elijah looked at her in surprise. "_What_?" He asked, blinking. "What did you say?"

"I asked how you wanted to recover from your evening out," Selina replied. "Why do you seem so shocked? Did you think I was gonna get mad or something?"

"Well...yes," Elijah admitted. "I did. But you're not."

"_Should_ I be?" Selina asked, hands on her hips.

"No!" Elijah shook his head. "Of course not!"

"I don't see what the problem is, then," Selina replied, taking Elijah's hand and pulling him off to their room, with a promise to show him a stripper act that he really _would_ enjoy.

* * *

As Alistair should have expected, things with the stripper didn't go well, along with several other women who he knew in his heart were much too young for him. So, he resigned himself to staying in his house without company, and reading books again. Finally, one day, he heard a knock on his door.

"Who could that be?" He asked as he went to answer it. He opened the door and saw a pretty blonde on the other side. He recognized her well, and felt shock coursing through his mind. "What are you doing here?" He asked her nervously, even starting to close the door on her. But she stopped it.

"You don't have to be scared of me," Hazel said. "I didn't come here to punish you. I cam to ask for your help. I've heard that people can come and talk to you and you help them with their problems. Is that true?"

"Yes," Alistair nodded. "I try my best."

"Well, my father has forced me to become human and he's trying to make me get married," Hazel explained, easing her way into the house and standing right in front of Alistair

"Oh?" Alistair's eyebrows rose. "I'm sorry."

"That's just the tip of the iceberg," Hazel replied. "Take me to wherever you have these meeting things and I'll tell you more."

"Oh, goody," Alistair thought to himself. "I can't wait." He let her proceed him, giving her directions to his office. He then opened the door for her and gestured for her to have a seat on the sofa.

"You know, I like you," she told him. "You're the only one who's treated me with the slightest amount of respect since I got my powers taken away."

"And I bet the fact that I'm still a little afraid of you doesn't hurt either, does it?" Alistair asked her.

"No," Hazel replied. "That's nice too." She then noticed the picture of Alistair and Astrid that was facing toward the seat she was sitting in instead of in its usual position facing Alistair. "Why is your picture of Astrid facing me?" She asked. "Shouldn't it be something _you_ want to look at?"

"Not at the moment," Alistair replied. "Astrid and I are separated because of what happened with your father. I hope he's proud of himself."

"I highly doubt he cares," Hazel replied. "But he seems to be having a good time with that trollop he exchanged Astrid for."

"Well, I'm glad he's happy," Alistair replied. "Now, enough of my problems. Let's talk about yours."

"In a minute," Hazel said with a grin. "I just thought of something: You and Astrid aren't seeing each other, my father wants me married, or at least to date...why don't you and I do something?"

"It's a bad idea for people in my position to see the people they're counseling socially," Alistair replied. "Besides, I've already tried seeing other women and it hasn't worked out well for me."

"Well, what sorts of women have you been dating?" Hazel pressed.

"Not the sort I'd usually date," Alistair replied. "But that's because I don't want to have a deep relationship with anyone. I just want some companionship until things between Astrid and me get better."

"Ah!" Hazel grinned. "So something shallow and meaningless. I understand."

"Don't take any offense to that," Alistair said quickly. "Please."

"Relax!" Hazel grinned, coming behind him to rub his shoulders. "I told you I couldn't hurt you anymore, remember?" She began to give him a massage. "Now, all I want to do is _help_ you."

Alistair protested feebly and then gave in, closing his eyes. He was probably gonna end up regretting this whole thing, but for now, he wanted to enjoy it. Even if dating Hazel _was_ a bit of a risk, at least she wasn't a stripper. Elijah would be proud of him.


	26. Most Unusual Game

"Thanks for suggesting to your mother that I have the job for her grand opening," Sam told Addie. "I'll try to do my best."

"Oh, you'll do great!" Addie reassured him. "Would it help if we did a quickie backstage before you went on, or would that just make things worse?"

"We wouldn't do it backstage if we did it at all," Sam told her. "But sure, that might help." He looked around to find a better place than backstage, somewhere more private. He knew he was good, but he didn't want everyone to hear. He finally settled on the break room and he and Addie went there, quickly undressing each other and then having sex on the sofa. They got so involved that they lost track of the time, so when it was time for Sam to go on, Roxie looked around for him until she heard the moaning coming from the break room. She grinned, opened the door, and said, without looking directly at Sam and Addie, "Comfy spot, that sofa?"

Sam and Addie both stopped moaning and looked up at Roxie in embarrassment.

"I just came to tell you that it's time for you to go on," Roxie told him. "At the very least, I suggest you put on pants."

"Yeah, right," Sam nodded, red still in his cheeks as he got off Addie and put his pants on. "And thanks for coming to tell me that it's almost show time. That was nice of you."

He grabbed his shirt and his guitar and went out. Addie got up to follow him so she could watch from backstage, but before she could go far, Roxie put a hand on her arm.

"You don't have to worry," Addie told her. "Sam can't get me pregnant."

"It wasn't about that," Roxie told her. "You can have sex wherever you want. Hell, even _your dad_ and I have had sex in here on the sofa. If I scolded you about that, it would make me a hypocrite."

"Ewww!" Addie cried and got off the sofa, dressing quickly. "Are you telling me that I just had sex in a place where you've _also_ had sex? Way to scar me for life! I _didn't_ need to hear that!"

"I know," Roxie chuckled. "I just wanted to see the disgusted look on your face." They heard the sound of a guitar being tuned. "You better get out there," Roxie told her. "It sounds like Sam is about to start."

"All right," Addie said, and then paused. "How come you're not more shocked about Sam and me?"

"Please," Roxie replied. "That's your M.O. with guys. I'll be shocked when you and Sam tell me you've decided to be exclusive."

At that, Addie burst out laughing as she saw a pair of panties fly up on the stage next to the stool Sam was sitting on. "Yeah," she said. "Like that will happen."

* * *

"What, no Lucy today?" Sam asked Damon when the latter came to meet him after his set.

"She had a thing," Damon replied. "I didn't think you'd miss her too much." He smirked at the pair of panties that were on Sam's dressing table. "You should keep those," he said. "They'll look good on you."

Sam looked down at them and sighed. "Just one of the perks of being an idol I guess: women giving you free panties." He paused. "I hope Roxie thinks I'm good enough that I can work here full time. I'd really like having a steady position."

"You would?" Damon asked. "That's kind of the last thing I'd expect to hear from you." He paused. "Are you doing this for Addie?"

Sam shrugged. "Probably. I don't know. I have this feeling that her dad doesn't really, you know, approve of me, and I think that maybe, if I _did_ have a steady job, he'd like me better."

"Yeah, that's basically why I signed up for the war," Damon told Sam. "I thought it would make your grandmother hate me less than she did if I did something noble like go to war. But little did I know that the only reason why she even let your mom and me get engaged in the first place was cause she figured I'd probably die on the battle field and then your mom would have no choice but to marry a boring man of your grandmother's choosing."

"Wow," Sam scoffed. "What a bitch. I don't think Vince is that bad, though. And even if he _is_ against me and Addie being together, I think Roxie is rooting for us and will get him to change his mind."

"After that gets cleared up, you'll only have one more problem to deal with," Damon replied with a grin.

"And what's that?" Sam asked.

"How to deal with a bunch of lustful ladies when you really only want one woman," Damon winked. Just then, there was a knock at the door and Addie poked her head in. "Sam, can I come in?"

"Sure," Sam replied and turned to his father. "If you'll excuse me, Dad," he said, "I have some business to attend to."

"I see that," Damon grinned. "Enjoy yourself, son."

* * *

"Are we really going?" Joey asked Diana. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"I really don't wanna go, but if we don't go with Hayley, my dad will hurt her," Diana explained. "And even if I dislike her with every fiber of my being, she doesn't deserve that."

"What if I just made your dad disappear?" Joey asked. "That would be good for everyone."

Diana sighed. "I wish I could agree with you, but he's my dad. I don't want him dead, or disappeared, or whatever."

"Why not?" Joey asked. "You ran away from him."

"Your dad-_both_ of your dads are two of the sweetest guys, so I wouldn't expect you to understand," Diana told him. "Sometimes, I think that if I just go away, then he'll miss me and then he'll change, so if I ever came back, I'd see a better man."

"I'm sorry," Joey told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I had no idea."

"It's all right," Diana replied, brushing his sympathy away.

"No, it's not!" Joey replied firmly. "I've had parents that have cared about me all my life and you haven't. _Someone _should care about you, and I think...I think that person should be me." Then, before he could think about it too much, he grabbed a surprised Diana and kissed her.

"Wow," she replied when he pulled away. "I definitely wasn't expecting that."

"Oh," Joey nodded. "Sorry. Sometimes, emotion just takes me, and it makes me do things I regret."

"No, you shouldn't regret that!" Diana shook her head. "It was nice! We should do it again sometime."

"Really?" Joey asked. "All right. I'll see what I can do."

"I hope you two are ready to go," Hayley said, pushing her dark hair out of her eyes. "I'd hate to find out what your father would do to me if we were late."

Joey and Diana gave each other a long look before following Hayley out to her car. As they drove back to the area where Diana's pack was, the tension in the car was thick and suffocating.

"How mad is my father that I ran away?" Diana finally asked. "Is he...planning to kill me too?"

"Well, he definitely wasn't _happy_ that you left," Hayley replied. "I don't know specifically how he's gonna respond to it, I just know that it won't be good."

When they finally arrived at the site, instead of dawdling like he thought she would, Joey was surprised to see Diana jump out of the car and go confront her father directly. "Daddy," she said. "It was my idea to leave. You shouldn't punish Hayley for what I did."

"Oh, I don't intend to," he said. "She brought you back like I asked, so why would I hurt her? You, on the other hand...I'm still trying to think about what I'm going to do with you. Cause you know I don't like people who defy me, Diana. Your mother did, and that's why I killed her. I don't want to have to do the same thing to you, but I will."

"Just tell me what my punishment is," Diana replied quietly.

"All right," her father said, getting close to her so they were practically nose to nose. "At the next full moon, when the boys go to activate their genes, you'll go with them. You'll go with them and you'll bring back the person you kill just to prove you did it."

"But I can't," Diana replied. Her father gave her a hard slap. "Don't you _dare_ defy me!" He said. "You're lucky your punishment is only as bad as this."

"You think that making me turn is more merciful that killing me?" Diana asked.

"Yes," Her father replied. "And what's this nonsense you're telling me about how you can't turn?"

"I just can't," Diana replied. "I had Enid do a spell that made it impossible for me to deactivate my werewolf side, no matter what I do."

"Well, all right, then," her father replied. He hollered to some of the other men. "Take my daughter and this boy that she's so fond of and put them in confinement until the next full moon!" He ordered as a struggling Joey and Diana were led away. "And at that point, when it's time for the boys to go hunting, _they_ will be the prey!"

* * *

"That was terrifying last night," Laura told Edward. "You know, when those people showed up? Good thing they didn't hurt us."

"If they'd have tried, you know I would have fought for you," Edward told her. "You and the baby. What do you think we're having?"

"Well, if Enid wasn't gallivanting about with her husband, we'd know by now," Laura replied.

"Let me guess," Edward said. "You want a girl."

Laura shrugged. "I honestly don't care one way or the other. I'll be happy with whatever comes out." She paused. "You want a boy? Another boy that you and my father can turn into a little genius with slicked back hair and wearing suits?"

"You make it sound like that's a bad thing!" Edward exclaimed, pretending to be hurt.

"Oh, well," Laura replied. "You may have control over his wardrobe, but_ I _get control over his hair!"

"Nothing unusual though," Edward said quickly. "No neon streaks or anything like that."

Laura grinned. "It'll be some time before he actually _has_ hair for me to experiment with," she replied. "And I will use that time to win you over." She paused. "I guess that means we're both thinking about having a boy now."

"Yes," Edward nodded. "Seems like it. But if it's a girl, I won't be disappointed."

Just then, Jake came in. "You two okay?" He asked.

"Yeah," Laura nodded. "We're fine. Who came here last night?"

Jake sighed. "From what I heard, it was people from Diana's pack come looking for her and Joey. They're all gone now. To tell you the truth, I'm a little relieved. I heard Hazel is on the loose again, so I thought that they were gone because of something much worse than that."

"And you don't think that people from Diana's pack coming to kidnap her is a bad thing?" Edward asked. "Come on, Jake! If she'd _wanted_ to be with her pack, she wouldn't have left them in the first place!"

"Well, I wouldn't worry about them," Jake replied. "You'll just make yourself sick when there's nothing you can do." And not to sound like a chauvinistic male," he continued, looking at Laura. "But in your condition, you probably shouldn't be going after people who will probably kill you for interfering anyway."

"Good point," Edward said. "Laura, why don't we go see your parents? That's always fun."

"Yeah, all right," Laura replied. "See you later, Uncle Jake."

Jake nodded. "Don't forget to tell your mother 'Hello' from me, and Edward, don't forget to come back here every day so we can get your workouts done."

"All right," Edward replied as he and Laura headed to his car. They then headed to Elijah and Selina's where they found Elijah sitting in the living room with Annaliese, trying to pick a show that they both could agree on. As Annaliese was more like Selina than him, it was a very difficult thing to do.

"Where's Mom?" Laura asked as Annaliese came to hug her.

"She's not here," Elijah replied. "And you wouldn't believe me about where she _was _if I told you."

"Tell me anyway," Laura requested. "From the exasperated tone of your voice, it's probably something very interesting."

Elijah sighed. "Your mother heard that Alistair is dating someone. She told Astrid and now the two of them feel the need to go and try to see who the other woman is! I _told_ her just to leave it alone, but as usual, she never listens."

"Astrid asked for her help, Daddy," Annaliese said. "It's not like she just decided to go by herself."

"Well, I still think of it as unnecessary interference in something that isn't her business," Elijah replied.

"You mean like when you and Alistair went to the strip club?" Annaliese asked.

"Who told you that?" Elijah blustered. "Annaliese, that's not something you should be repeating!"

"You went to a strip club?" Edward asked, looking shocked. "Why?"

"Alistair asked me to," Elijah replied. "Now can we please move on?"

"I wish you would've let me go with Mommy," Annaliese told Elijah. "I bet she and Astrid are having fun."

"I don't know if 'fun' is the word for it," Elijah replied dryly. "I bet they're just getting into trouble."

* * *

"Why did you pick this place?" Selina asked as Astrid got out the binoculars to stair at everyone at the restaurant from behind a row of potted plants. "You don't even know Alistair is gonna be here!"

"I do too!" Astrid said, trying to keep her balance. "This is where Alistair and I always go and when I heard from that stupid phone call that Alistair was cheating on me, this is where I figured he would take her. You know, do everything he possibly could to hurt me."

"Yeah, I mean, you would think after the strip club, he would have had his fill, but apparently not."

Astrid dropped her binoculars and turned to face Selina. "He went to a strip club?"

"Apparently," Selina nodded. "And he made Elijah go with him. Can you just imagine those guys at a strip club?"

"No," Astrid shook her head. "He would have _never_ done anything like this before now. I had no idea that he had so many wild oats to sow, and that being married to me was such an inconvenience."

"I'm sure that's not the case," Selina said. "I mean, sure he feels betrayed and hurt and stuff, but I bet he won't do anything so bad that it will ruin your relationship entirely."

"Who knows?" Astrid replied. "It might."

Just then, they heard the clearing of a throat behind them and turned to see a server in a crisp uniform staring back at them. "Will I have to escort you ladies out, or will you go quietly?" He asked.

"Sorry," Astrid said quickly. "We-we were just looking for someone. We don't think they're here yet. Can we have a table?"

The server eyed them skeptically, but led them to a table anyway, and handed them menus. While Selina looked the menu over, Astrid searched for Alistair. Eventually, she made a sound like she'd been punched in the gut.

"What?" Selina asked.

"He's here!" Astrid pointed. "And look who he brought with him. It's Hazel!"


End file.
